REPORT or STATF, l-N'TOMOI^OGIST. 47 



many of the pupae of other species were advanced to such a 

 degree that the cold wet weather of June destroyed them in 

 great numbers. The fact that nests of the fall web worm in 

 their young stage kept appearing on orchard trees after they 

 had been repeatedly cleared is explained only on the ground 

 that the moths were delayed in their time of hatching by the 

 vvcather and soil conditions. 



It v,'ill be remembered that caterpillars of this species, like 

 most other leaf-feeding kinds, go into the ground in the fall to 

 pupate and remain over winter. In the spring the development 

 \)l these depends to a great degree on soil, moisture and tem- 

 perature. If they happen to be in low or wet places, they will 

 not emerge so quickly as they would from light and dry soil. 

 The conditions last spring were such as to make just this un- 

 usually wude variation in soil conditions. Thus the great vari- 

 ation in the emergence of the moths to lay their eggs, and thus 

 it was, Vv^hen an orchardist had gone into his orchard and re- 

 moved all of the nests, that in a few days he might return and 

 find as many more, and so on as long as any belated moths 

 emerged and laid their eggs. In fact they were delayed so 

 long that many young colonies were found as late as Septem- 

 ber and were mistaken for brown-tail nests by some. Many 

 v/ere much concerned about their appearance, and not a few 

 could hardly be assured that they were not the brown-tail cater- 

 pillar, and some even persisted that they must be another form 

 of either the gypsy or brown-tail. The concern was so wide- 

 spread that I was requested by an editor of one of our papers 

 to send in an article explaining the different characteristics of 

 these species. Much damage was caused by their ravages, 

 especially in our young orchards, where they were a great men- 

 ace not only to the foliage but to the fruit as well. Several 

 reports have been received stating losses to fruit. In one in- 

 stance a statement was made by a reliable orchardist, that the 

 loss to one orchard alone amounted to hundreds of dollars. 

 It is to be hoped that this pest has reached the climax of its 

 cycle and its sudden disappearance will be expected after an- 

 other season of depredation, at least. We do not anticipate 

 such an infestation another year but cannot tell for a certainty, 

 as but few parasites were seen and no indication of a fungous 

 disease. The caterpillars of this species are by nature very 



