358 MANUAL OF VEGET ABLE-GARDEN INSECTS 



IIil)crnati()ii takes place in the pupal state and the moths 

 emerge from early spring to June. The moths have an expanse 

 of 1^ to 2 inches. The wings are pure white ; the front wings 

 marked with a small black dot near the center ; the hind wings 

 usually with three black dots. The head and thorax are clothed 

 with white down ; the abdomen is white with two orange 

 bands and three rows of black spots. The eggs are deposited 

 in clusters of fifty to sixty or more on leaves. The egg is 

 spherical, about -j^ inch in diameter and shining white to golden 

 yellow in color. The eggs hatch in seven days. The young cater- 

 pillars feed at first in colonies on the underside of the leaves, 

 skeletonizing them, but later scatter and riddle the leaves, 

 leaving only the ribs. They become mature in about four 

 weeks. The full-grown caterpillar is from 1|- to 2 inches in 

 length, covered with fine soft hairs intermingled with larger 

 ones and varying from pale yellow to deep reddish brown, 

 shading to blackish in front. They then leave their food plants 

 and seek shelter under the loose bark of trees, under boards 

 or similar situations, where they construct cocoons mostly com- 

 posed of hairs from their bodies fastened together with a few 

 threads of silk. The reddish brown pupa is about f inch in 

 length. The pupal period lasts from one to two weeks. In 

 the northern United States there are two broods annually. 



Control. 



The larger caterpillars feed in exposed situations and are 

 readily controlled by hand-picking. The smaller ones are 

 easily poisoned by spraying with arsenate of lead (paste) 

 pounds in 50 gallons of water. 



References 



Riley, 3rd Rept. Ins. Mo., pp. 68-69. 1871. 

 Dickerson, Moths and Butterflies, pp. 192-195. 1901. 



9i 



