600 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



are nearly full grown, has been recovered in encouraging numbers 

 this year, and another tachinid, Parexorista chelonice, has also been 

 secured in small numbers. 



The increase of the various parasites that attack the brown-tail 

 moth, tlierefore, has been most satisfactory. It may be necessary, 

 however, to import still other enemies which will make more perfect 

 the sequence of parasites necessary to bring about entire control. 



Excellent results in this direction have been accomplished by the 

 importation and colonization this year of a strong colony of Eudoro- 

 myia magnicomis. This insect has never been secured in sufficient 

 numbers previously to give it a proper chance to develop, but as 

 over 7,000 specimens have been liberated this year as a result of the 

 importations of large brown-tail caterpillars from Russia, Spain, 

 and Italy, it is possible to give this species an excellent opportunity 

 to l)ecome established. It should be noted that the species above 

 mentioned are not only spreading satisfactorily, and in some cases 

 more than we dared hope, but that the returns from collections taken 

 from selected portions of the infested territory indicate that most of 

 them are increasing in the territory where they were found last year. 



This has been particularly true of the tachinid fly Com'psilura 

 concinnata, which attacks gipsy and brown-tail caterpillars as well 

 as many native ones. The species has become abundant enough in 

 the central portion of the infested district so that specimens have 

 been found by property owners without especial search and have 

 been sent to the laboratory for identification. This species is now 

 spread throughout the generally infested area of Massachusetts, and 

 has been received from several towns over the New Hampshire line. 



The increase and spread of the imported Calosoma beetle wei'e 

 pointed out in the last report. Returns thus far secured during the 

 present year show a continued increase in the spread of this species, 

 and in the badly infested section where this beetle has been found 

 abundantly during the present season enormous inroads have been 

 made on the gipsy moth caterpillars and pupae, and in some cases 

 it has been difficult to collect pupae even in areas that were quite 

 badly infested in the early summer, this result being due entirely 

 to the good work done by this beetle. It is not expected that this 

 insect will ever be able to control the situation, although it is plainly 

 evident that it will eventually become a powerful force in helping 

 to hold the gipsy moth in check. 



One of the egg parasites of the gipsy moth, Schedius kuvance, 

 which is expected to become a most useful ally and which has great 

 possibilities owing to the fact that several generations develop in a 

 single year, has fortunately shown positive results in the field, and 

 it is probable that the species will withstand the severe New England 

 winters. Another egg parasite, Anastatus bifasciatus, is reproduc- 

 ing satisfactorily under natural outdoor conditions. Its spread is 

 slow, and it does not develop in large numbers rapidly, since it has 

 only one generation a year, but it will in time become a useful 

 parasite. 



Aside from stopping the importation of brown-tail moth nests in 

 large numbers, there has been no effort the present year to import 

 large quantities of parasitized caterpillars from the localities from 

 which good colonies have already been secured. There have been, 



