Climbing Cutworms. 647 



In some cases the eggs are laid in midsummer, and the cutworms 

 hatching therefrom become about half-groM'n before winter and 

 hibernate in that stage in sheltered places or in the soil. One 

 species {carneades oolirogaster') may hibernate in the q^^ stage 

 while others lay their eggs in the spring. 



When full-grown, cutworms bury themselves in the soil and by 

 twisting the body about they form an oval, smooth cell within 

 which they change to dark brown conical pupge. From these pupae 

 the moths emerge later. 



Probably most of the species of cutworms pass the winter as half, 

 grown caterpillars. Some species winter as pupge, and others in the 

 Q^^ stage ; while in one case {Agrotis ypsilon), the indications are 

 that the moth may hibernate, and egg-laying take place early in the 

 spring. Some of the species pass through two generations in the 

 course of a year, but in mo?t cases there is only one generation. 



I^ATURAL Enemies. 



Cutworms have many enemies, both predaceous and parasitic, 

 which often do good service as natural checks to their increase. 



Predaceous. — Several birds, as chickens, the robin, the cat-bird, 

 the red-winged black-bird and the purple grackle often include cut 

 worms in their daily menu. Toads should be given free range in 

 gardens, for, from the stomach of one of them, thirty-three cut- 

 worms have been taken. Spiders and mites are known to prey 

 upon cutworms. They also have many enemies among their own- 

 kind — the insects. Several of the ground-beetles {Carahidm), in 

 both their ad alt and larval stages, wage incessant war upon them.* 

 Wasps and ants sometimes help in this warfare ; and the spined 

 soldier-bug often stabs them with its formidable beak and sucks out 

 their juices. 



Parasitic. — Cutworms have many parasitic foes among the in- 

 sects. Probably the most efficient of these are the tachina-flies ; 

 these are allied to and resemble the common house-fly. They dex- 

 terously fasten their white eggs to the skin of their helpless victims, 

 usually on the back near the head. Grubs soon hatch from these 

 eggs and bore their way into the host, where they live upon the 

 juices and fatty tissues, carefully avoiding the vital organs, until 



* Dr. Fitch, gives a graphic account of a ground-beetle " murdering a cut- 

 worm" in his Ninth Eeport on the Insects of New York, p. 817. 



