REPORT OF FIELD AGENT, GYPSY MOTH WORK. Ill 



Brown-tail webs, collected in localities known to be infested 

 with Apanteles and Meteorus were brought to the Maine labor- 

 atory and placed in feeding trays. These trays are made of a 

 light wooden frame with cotton cloth bottom, the top open 

 except for narrow strip covered with tanglefoot. As the cater- 

 pillars emerged from the webs they were held in confinement by 

 the tanglefoot and fed at once on fresh cherry leaves, or other 

 suitable food plant. This feeding was continued at intervals 

 of two or three hours for ten days when a section of coarse 

 mosquito netting cut to fit the inside dimensions of the tray 

 was spread over the refuse feed and larvae, and more fee^i 

 placed in the trays, thus drawing the maggot bearing larvae 

 away from the refuse feed. After another six days this oper- 

 ation was repeated, with similar effect. When the maggots 

 began to emerge and spin cocoons, the sections of the web 

 bearing the refuse feed and moulting nets were transfered to 

 the picking cage, leaving the more active caterpillars in the 

 feeding trays. 



The work of picking the cocoons from the refuse was very 

 disagreeable and attended by great personal discomfort. The 

 dried and partly eaten leaves, the moulting webs and all ma- 

 terial necessary to be handled are covered with the poison 

 spines from the brown-tail hairs. To inhale this poison or ac- 

 quire in the eyes is very dangerous. 



This disagreeable feature was obviated to some extent by 

 the use of a picking cage. This resembles an ordinary show 

 case with top and sides of glass and at the back, holes cut. 

 and armulets made of canvass inserted to protect the operator 

 during the process of picking. Even by this protection and by 

 wearing rubber gloves great discomfort was experienced dur- 

 ing this operation. As soon as a sufficient number of cocoon> 

 were obtained they were carried into the field for colonization 

 as quickly as possible before the adult flies had time to emerge; 

 suitable localities having been selected by careful inspection 

 earlier in the season. In the field the cocoons were placed in 

 a waterproof box, this box being slightly perforated on the 

 side, nailed to a tree, both tree and box smeared with tree tan- 

 glefoot to prevent destruction of the cocoons by ants, and here 

 left to emerge. In this manner colonies were liberated in North 

 Yarmouth, New Gloucester, Buxton, Gorham, Old Town, Pitts- 



