T 



he Pupa, When fully grown, usually in July, the caterpillar 

 spins a few threads of silk as a supporting framework, casts its 

 skin and changes into a pupa, or, as it is sometimes called, a 

 chrysalis. The pupa is dark reddish or chocolate in color and 

 very thinly sprinkled with light 

 reddish hairs. Unfortunately it re- 

 sembles the pupa3 of certain other 

 moths found in Massachusetts, and 

 cannot, unless by experts, be identi- 

 fied at a glance. The thinly sprin- 

 kled, light reddish hairs are, how- 

 ever, characteristic. 



The Moth. --From July 15 to 

 August 15 the winged moths emerge 

 from the pupa, the date varying 

 according to the season and time 

 of pupation. The male moth is 

 brownish-yellow, varying to green- 

 ish-brown in color, has a slender 

 body and expands about one and 

 one-half inches. It flies actively 

 by day, with a peculiar zigzag 

 flight. 



The female moth is nearly white, with numerous small black 

 markings, heavy bodied and sluggish, and expands about two 

 inches. The female does not fly, otherwise the spread of the gypsy. 

 moth would be most rapid. After mating, the moths live but a 

 short time. The female dies after depositing her egg mass. The 



winded moths take no food. All 



o 



damage to foliage is caused by the 



caterpillars. 



Distribution. 

 The gypsy moth spreads chiefly dur- 



ing the caterpillar stage. While the 



caterpillars do not crawl very far from 

 FIG. 4. Male gypsy moth. where they hatch, except when there, 

 is a scarcity of food, they have the habit, when small and young, of 

 spinning down on their silken threads from trees, and, falling on ve- 

 hicles, are then carried from place to place. Electric cars, pleasure, 

 and business vehicles, bicycles and automobiles are common means 

 of thus transporting the gypsy moth. The special attention of all 

 those upon whom gypsy moth suppression devolves is therefore 

 directed to the necessity of keeping the neighborhoods of travelled 

 highways free from the insect. The caterpillars often crawl upon 



FIG. 3. Pupa of gypsy moth. 



