NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



species will feed on it to a slight extent, or more largely when their usual 

 food is rather scarce. The most useful birds are the yellow and black- 

 billed cuckoos, Haltimore oriole, catbird, chickadee, blue jay, chipping- 

 sparrow, robin, red-eyed and yellow-throated vireos and crow. 



A number of predaceous and parasitic insects have either been reared 

 from this insect or observed preying on it, but none of them are of sufficient 

 importance to warrant special mention in this connection. 



Recommendations. Investigate anything that arouses a sus[)icion that 

 it may be the gipsy moth, but be in no undue haste to identify the insect. 

 It will be much more satisfactory to submit the specimens to an entomolo- 

 gist than to arouse unnecessary fears. There have already been several 

 false alarms occasioned by persons with more enthusiasm than discretion, 

 who have attempted to identify an insect with which they were unacquainted. 



It would undoubtedly pay to exterminate a small colony, but in the 

 course of time this will be impracticable. We must learn to control it on 

 our own land. The inability of the female to tly and the conspicuousness 

 of the egg masses make this task relatively easy, unless the pest is allowed 

 to escape to the woods. There a private individual could hardly cope with 

 the insect. The point of establishment in this state is almost bound to 

 be near some dwelling, ami therefore the species need not be allowed to 

 establish itself in wild lantl, at least for some years. 



One of the most effective methods of keeping this pest under control 

 is the careful collection and burning of the conspicuous ei^<^ masses. This 

 can be done most effectually in the fall, during the winter and in earh' spring. 

 No ordinary fire running over the ground can be relied on to kill the eggs. 

 The only safe way is to put them in a stove or similar fire and burn them 

 up. Creosote oil applied to the egg mass will soak in and kill the eggs. 

 Tlie following preparation was used in the work against the gipsy moth : 

 Creosote oil, 50^^; carbolic acid, 20/» ; spirits of turpentine, 20/if!, and lO/^ of 

 coal tar. The latter was added to color the comjjound and thus show at a 

 glance what clusters had been treated. 



The caterpillars prefer to hide during the daytime, and advantage may 



