GYPSY MOTH (Porthetria distar L.). a destructive insect pest in Europe, introduced into the United States in 1869 by a naturalist who was carrying on experimental work with insects. Later in the season some of the cater pillars escaped and the species established it self. The female moth deposits a cluster con taining 400 eggs or more, which she covers with buff-colored hair. Most of the egg clus tern are laid during the month of July and hatch about the time the leaves begin to ap pear the following spring. They are deposited on the underside of branches of trees, on tree trunks, under loose bark, or in cavities in the trunks or branches, and are sometimes placed on stones or rubbish and in a variety of situa tions where they are concealed from view. As the female moth does not fly, egg-clusters are seldom found far from the food-plant upon which the caterpillars developed. The newly hatched larva feed on the opening leaves, mak ing small perforations. They grow rapidly and become full-fed early in July. During this period they molt five or six times, and as they increase in size a larger proportion of the foliage is eaten, so that trees are sometimes entirely stripped. When full-grown the caterpillars shed their skin and transform to pupa, in which stage they remain for about 10 days, after which the adult insects emerge. The female moth meas ures about two inches across the wings, is of a yellowish-white color, with black markings on the outer edges of the wings. The male is con siderably smaller, and of a brown color with similar black markings. The most favored food-plants of the gypsy moth are the apple, the different species of oak, gray birch, alder and willow, but in cases of bad infestation all deciduous trees are injured, with the exception of ash. The moth does enormous injury to
tree-growth. There are few insect enemies of the gypsy moth native to New England that cause any noticeable benefit in reducing its numbers. The enemies which have been estab lished by the Bureau of Entomology and are at present destroying the largest number of gypsy moth caterpillars and pupa are a Calosoma bee tle (Calosomae sycophanta); a tachinid fly (Compsilura concinnata), and a species of Apanteles (Apanteles lacteicolor). These have served greatly to reduce the numbers of the moth in many badly-infested areas, and, when established in large numbers in the in fested territory of New England, the gypsy moth will be a very minor destructive factor. Meanwhile hand and mechanical methods of fighting the pest must be continued. These in clude the collection of egg masses, the destruc tion cf caterpillars under burlap bands placed about the trunks of trees and with arsenate of lead or other arsenical poisons. Creosote, to which a small amount of lamp black has been added, has been applied with a brush with good results to the egg-clusters be tween 1 August and 1 April. Tanglefoot bands are also used on tree trunks after the bark has been scraped so that the sticky material can he applied evenly in a thin layer with a paddle. This effectively prevents the cater pillars from ascending the trees. Consult (Farmers' Bulletin 564) (Washington, 29 Jan. 1914).