RE;pORT of state; i:nTOMOLOGIST. 211 



THE BUCK MOTH. 



The Buck moth, Hemileuca maia, occurs in a number of 

 places in the State and was first sent to the office in the fall of 

 1905 from Surry. 



Plate III, Fig. 4 shows the different stages in its life history, 

 the cluster of eggs, full grown caterpillar, pupa, male and 

 female moths. These figures are about three-fourths size. 



The moth spreads about two and one-fourth inches. The 

 wings are grayish black with a distinct black line on the outer 

 edge and extending along the anterior edge to the thorax. A 

 broad band of white extends diagonally across the wings, being 

 much wider on the posterior ones, covering more than one-half 

 of the area. The antennae, legs and body are black. There 

 is a pair of brick-red tufts, one on each side, just back of the 

 shoulders, and the male has quite a prominent anal tuft of the 

 same color. This was the distinguishing mark that caused 

 many to believe it was the brown-tail moth. 



They generally occur in colonies, the one at Surry being the 

 largest that I know of. The life history is similar to that of 

 many of our other moths. The adult insect appears about the 

 first of October. Last season the first moth appeared Sep- 

 tember 22nd and the last one October 4th. They are not 

 nocturnal like most moths but fly by day. 



The female lays her eggs in a cluster surrounding the twig 

 as shown in the figure. The average number of eggs in a cluster 

 is about one hundred and seventy. These remain all winter 

 and hatch about the middle of May. The caterpillar is dark 

 brown with a yellowish-white line on each side, and is armed 

 with clusters of spines on each segment similar to the io but 

 they are stiffer and more branching. They feed mostly on the 

 oak and birch and will probably never occur in sufficient num- 

 bers to become a pest. They have rather a striking appearance, 

 and are eagerly sought for by the amateur collectors, as they 

 are counted among the rare moths of the State. 



