CANKERWORM. A gregarious caterpillar of either of two moths of the geometric] fancily Monocteniidle. One is on the wing in the au tumn and the other in the spring. The moths of the spring cankerworm ( l'alcaerita vcrnata) vamp forth from the chrysalis in the spring. but a few of them appear in the fall or on warm days of winter. The moths of the autumn can kerworm (A/sop/tilts ponietaria) emerge during October. Some few may delay coiling out until 1111 days in winter. The moths of both sexes of the autumn cankerworm differ from those of the spring form in the absence of abdominal spine:. The autumn form pupates in the ground in well-spun cocoons, while the cells of the forms are lined with only a few threads of silk. The body of the caterpillar of the au tumn form is marked by six light longitudinal band,, and those of the spring formic by eight. The eggs of the autumn form are laid in regu lar rows or masses, and are truncated in form, while those of the spring brood are ovoid and are laid in irregular bunches. Both forms agree
in that the caterpillars feed on the leave, of fruit and shade trees, and descend to the ground to pupate. The female moths of both forms are wingless. The caterpillars are so voracious that they may denude whole orchards or groves of trees in a few days as though a flame had swept through, whence has arisen the local name, 'fire worm.' This is the worm thAt strips currant in the spring. and it was to com bat this caterpillar that the English house-spar IOW was introduced into the 'United States: hut it cheeked the cankerworms but little. (See 1101:SE SPARROW.) The wingless females may be caught as they creep up the trunk of a tree by hands of to paper or other sticky substance wrapped about the trunk of the tree. Shade-trees may lie sprayed with Paris green in water; but this poison must be used with caution on fruit-trees.