1274 



Rural School Leaflet 



AdiiU moth of the apple-tree tent 

 caterpillar 



the eggs remain all winter, and hatch in 

 the spring about as soon as the buds burst. 

 The caterpillars eat the buds and the 

 leaves, grow very fast, and by the first 

 week in June become mature. Each one 

 then finds a nook or a cranny in which to 

 s]3in a thick, silken cocoon, covered with a 

 yellowish powder. Inside of the cocoon 

 the caterpillar changes to a pupa, which 

 transforms to a moth in the latter part of 

 June. The moths soon deposit their ring- 

 like masses of eggs; then they 

 die. 



Injury aiid control. — The 

 moths do no harm, but the 

 caterpillars eat the buds and 



the leaves and defoliate the trees. 



This weakens the trees, stops the new 



growth, and prevents the production 



of fruit. 



The insect can be controlled by 



collecting the egg rings during the 



fall and winter (page 1252), and by 



spraying the trees with arsenate of 



lead, 3 pounds to 50 gallons of water, 



once after the leaves appear but before Egg mass of the 



the blossoms open, and again after the ^^ fer Hilar ^^^'^ 



petals fall. 



Apple-tree tent cater- 

 pillars 



Cocoons of the apple-tree tent caterpillar 



