REPORT OF FIELD AGENT, GYPSY MOTH WORK. 12/ 



adopted under the impression that Monodontomerus was a 

 very beneficial insect which ought to be saved. This insect is 

 not effective enough to warrant this procedure a^nd the danger 

 connected with the practice lies in the fact that such recepta- 

 cles are very often neglected until they became warped by the 

 weather sufficiently to allow the caterpillars to escape. The 

 webs should not be handled in this way. They should always 

 be cut from the trees and burned at once. The only way that 

 beneficial parasites can be obtained from them is to place them 

 in specially constructed trays or bins and feed the brown-tail 

 caterpillars which emerge with leaves until the Apanteles para- 

 sites come out. This involves considerable labor and cannot be 

 ('one satisfactorily by a person unfamiliar with the work. 



The brief notes given above on the various parasites of the 

 gypsy and brown-tail moths thus far liberated in Maine sum 

 up the situation as it is at present. It is very necessary that 

 the people of Maine get a clear idea of the parasite situation as 

 soon as possible. Neglect of property with the hope that the 

 parasites will do the work which ought to be done by the 

 owners is inexcusable and if damage results from such neglect 

 the person suffering from it can command very little sympathy. 

 In time the parasites will give good accounts of themselves 

 but this will only come about after they are well established 

 and, until this happy day arrives, a policy of marking time will 

 not suffice. The owners of property should cooperate with 

 the town and state authorities in the use of various means of 

 killing the two pests. Property owners will be able to help very 

 greatly and relieve themselves of a great amount of discomfort 

 with a small expenditure of time and money if they will only 

 take pains to cut all of the brown-tail webs from their shade 

 and orchard trees and burn them at once. They should en- 

 deavor to keep in touch with the situation through the Maine 

 Department of Agriculture and adopt such means of control as 

 may be recommended and finally they should not expect too 

 much of the parasites. 



JOHN N. SUMMERS, 



Scientific Assistant, U. S. Bureau of Entomology. 



