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;!iid lay their eggs on the undersides of the leaves in masses of from 

 lliree hundred or more. The small caterpillars hatching from these 

 eggs feed together in clusters for nearly their entire life. At in- 

 tervals in their growth, they crawl down the trunk of the tree and 

 gather in a large mass usualh^ just below the lower branches. Here 

 they shed their skins and after the process is completed, crawl back 

 uj) the tree to their feeding place, leaving their empty cast skins 

 hanging in an unsightly mass on the' trunk of tlie tree. The cater- 

 pillars become full grown during late August and September. They 

 crawl to the ground and burrow below the surface for one to three 

 iiiclies, and change to a pupal stage emierging as moths the following 

 summer. 



Control Measures 



As the moth of the Walnut Caterpillar flies to the leaves of the 

 trees where she lays her eggs, it is not possible to prevent damage by 

 tliese insects by banding the trunk of the trees with some sticky sub- 

 stance, although this is sometimes done. The best method of prevent- 

 ing damage by this insect is to spray or dust the trees with arsenate 

 of lead, two pounds to fifty gallons of water, or if dust is used to 

 cover the leaves as soon as the caterpillars appear on the leaves. If 

 the trees are so large, or growing in situations where this cannot be 

 done, many of the caterpillars can be killed by crushing fhem when 

 they come down the tree to shed their skins. 



Xnt Weevils. These insects are entirely different from those just 

 described, and confii'ie their attacks to the fruit of the nut bearing 

 trees. There are a ninnber of these nut weevils which attack the fruit 

 of pecan, chestnut, hickory, and hazelnut, as well as several species 

 that feed on .acorns. The life history of these insects is much the 

 same for all species. The adult weevils are grayish, brownish, or 

 yellowish beetles varying in size from a fourth up to one-half inch in 

 length, with long, slender beaks projecting from the front of their 

 lieads. They usually make their ajjpearance during late July and 

 August. Mating takes place, and the females deposit their eggs in 

 the nuts or acorns which they attack. The eggs are laid in cavities 

 eaten into the fruit of the nuts, these cavities extending for some 

 distance into the nut, and being drilled by the weevils with their long 

 snouts. After drilling the hole in the nut or acorn the female weevil 

 turns around and by the aid of a long ovipositor, inserts her egg. The 



