1(30 PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGY. 



way into the fruit, from "nhich, when full grown, it escapes into the 

 ground or some crevice, spins its cocoon in Avhich it remains in a 

 dormant state until the warm weather, when it comes forth a moth 

 and deposits its eggs as described. As the fruit affected by them 

 usually falls before it is ripe and while containing the larvre, they 

 should be destroyed to check their increase. 



Handmaid moth, or yellow necked apple tree worm, (^Eumetc- 

 j)ona ministra.^ This is one of the largest moths, measuring from 

 two to two and a half inches across the spread wings. The fore 

 wings are of a dusky buff color crossed with four or five bands of 

 darker shade. The hind wings are nearly white, body buff, head 

 and thorax orange. They appear in June and July, deposit their 

 eggs on the under side of an apple tree leaf, which hatch about the 

 middle of July, live upon the leaves, and when mature are coal 

 black, leave the tree and change as above. Birds destroy great 

 numbers of these caterpillars and the rest can be easily destroyed 

 by the hand. 



White miller, or yellow bear caterpillar, {Arclia Virginica ) 

 The moth is from an inch and a half to two inches across the ex- 

 panded wings ; it is white with a black point on the middle of the 

 fore wings and black dots on the hind wings. They lay their 

 eggs in May and June. The larvcie are voracious and eat almost 

 any kind of plants. The caterpillar varies in color from a yellow- 

 ish to a dusky brown ; when mature they are about two inches long. 

 They continue dormant in the chrysalis state during the winter and 

 come forth the perfect insect or moth as above described. 



The bee moth, {GaUe7-ia cerandea.) Moth is nearly an inch and 

 a half across expanded wings, dirty gray color with purple brown 

 tinges on fore wings, and hind wings much lighter, in the male, yel- 

 lowish, in the female dirty white and both fringed. There are two 

 broods in a year, one in last of April or first of May, the other in 

 August. The first brood turn to moths in June the second in Sep- 

 tember. This variety are the more numerous and live entirely on 

 the beeswax. There is another kind (^Galleria alce}-ia) or honey 

 moth, which lives on the honey alone. The first named or comb 

 moth deposits its eggs at night in the hive, or if it cannot enter, it 

 lays them on the outside, where they hatch and crawl or eat their 

 way inside. After the worm is hatched it covers itself with a co- 



