REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST IQII IOI 



Professor Townsend who redescribed it under the name of 

 Thryptocera a m erica n a. 



Forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria Hiibn.) . 

 This pest was exceedingly abundant and destructive about a 

 decade ago, defoliating considerable areas of hard maples and 

 stripping many apple trees. Apparently this species is becom- 

 ing numerous again, since it was reported as stripping wood- 

 lands by Townsend Cox, Setauket, and as present in some num- 

 bers on the estate of Warren Delano, Annandale, a number of 

 trees being defoliated. Mr Bronk VanSlyke of Ravena found 

 small numbers of the caterpillars in his orchard, while Dr C. S. 

 Merrill of Albany brought in a number from Warrensburg and 

 stated that the pests were on everything in the village. Dr 

 W. E. Britton of New Haven, Conn., found evidence showing that 

 the caterpillar had been abundant at Jay, Essex county, cocoons 

 being present in July on the trunk of nearly every tree, includ- 

 ing pines, and on fences and stone walls. On the under side 

 of large branches of apple trees one could see patches five or 

 six inches in diameter, of the cast skins or exuviae of the 

 caterpillars. 



This scattering appearance in widely separated localities may 

 be the forerunner of a great abundance of this pest in the next 

 two or three years. It is certainly advisable to watch for their 

 appearance and if they become numerous upon orchard or valued 

 shade trees, resort promptly to remedial measures, such as thorough 

 and early spraying with an arsenical poison, preferably arsenate 

 of lead. 



A peculiar apple miner. In connection with our studies of the 

 codling moth discussed earlier, we found an exceptionally fine 

 example (plate 8, figure 4) of the work of a miner operating just 

 under the skin of the apple. This insect appears to work in a 

 similar manner under the bark of apple twigs, making a long, nar- 

 row, serpentine mine. The miner is never abundant and the adult 

 has not been reared, though from the character of its work the 

 insect has been tentatively referred to the genus Mamara. Doctor 

 Howard 1 published a brief notice accompanied by an illustration 

 of the work of this insect in Delaware, while ten years later, Mr 

 A. L. Quaintance 2 recorded this species from the Ozark mountains 



^SgS, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Division of Entomology, Bui. 10, 

 n. s., p. 87-88 

 2 i9o8, Entomological Society of Washington Proceedings 10:2 



