Augllf^t, 'OS] JOUflNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 275 



NOTES ON THE WORK AGAINST THE GYPSY MOTH 



By E. P. Felt, Albanij, N. Y. 



The writer had the pleasure recently of spending several days ex- 

 amining the work against the gypsy moth. It is very gratifying, in- 

 deed, to state that there has been a marked gain all along the line. 

 By far the greater part of the residential area is in most excellent 

 condition, and while large tracts of woodland are badly infested and, 

 in some instances at least, have been defoliated by the caterpillars, 

 substantial progress is being made, particularly in methods of fighting 

 the insect under such adverse conditions. 



Entomologists will be specially interested in recent developments in 

 spraying. The capacity of a spray outfit has been greatly enlarged 

 by replacing the usual six-horse power gasoline engine weighing some 

 1,800 pounds, by a ten-horse power engine made especially for auto- 

 mobiles and weighing only 400 pounds. Though a heavier and more 

 powerful pump is employed the whole outfit weighs no more than 

 usual. The machinery is mounted upon a stout wagon with a 400- 

 gallon tank. A heavy inch and a half hose, some 400 to 800 feet long 

 with a smooth i/4-inch nozzle is used for work in the woodlands, and a 

 pressure of 200 to 250 pounds maintained. The hose is handled much 

 as though a fire was in progress. Ten men, at intervals of six or 

 eight feet, carry the end of the line, the nozzle being in charge of a 

 superior man, with instructions to keep it moving all the time. The 

 pressure is sufficient to throw the insecticide forty to fifty feet, and 

 the resistance of the air, breaking it into a fine spray, results in the 

 foliage being well covered if the nozzle is handled intelligently. 

 This large apparatus usually requires four horses and is capable of 

 spraying 14 to 16 acres a day at a cost of about $10.20 per acre where 

 the woodland is fairly clear of underbrush. An interesting modifi- 

 cation is used for spraying along road sides. It simply consists of a 

 giant extension nozzle mounted on a universal joint, so that the tip 

 may be elevated forty or fifty feet from the ground. This latter is 

 capable of covering a strip 400 feet wide if the wind be favorable. 



The work with parasites is particularly interesting. The operations 

 of last year have been greatly extended and a number of extremely 

 valuable improvements made. Messrs. Fiske, Burgess and Townsend 

 have charge, respectively, of the Hymenopterous, Coleopterous and 

 Dipterous parasites. Several Hymenopterous parasites have been 

 bred in large numbers and it is gratifying to state that many Jajian- 

 ese Apanteles have been reared upon American caterpillars. Further- 

 more, a new egg parasite of the gypsy moth luis been received from 



