3U0 



INJURIOUS AND BENEFICIAL INSECTS OF CALIFORNIA. 



about If inches. The caterpillars are easily recognized by the long 

 light-yellow or dark-brown hairs on the bodies. The cocoons are 

 made almost wholly out of the hair of the larvas. The pupae are dark 

 brown and f inch long. It is also called the Virginian tiger moth. 



Life History. — The caterpillars appear in the spring, often in great, 

 numbers, and feed upon all kinds of vegetation. When full-grown, 



which requires about one month, 

 they spin frail cocoons of their 

 own hair, in which to pupate. 

 The winter is spent in the pupal 

 stage. There are two broods a 

 year. 



Nature of Work. — The cater- 

 pillars eat the foliage of low- 

 growing and succulent trees and 

 shrubs and may entirely devour 

 the tender plants. 



Distribution. — The distribu- 

 tion of the yellow bear caterpil- 

 lar is quite wide, but it is usually 

 c< dinned more to the southern 

 part of the State. 



Food Plants. — The caterpillars 

 are omnivorous feeders and have 

 been reported as attacking the 

 following : alfalfa, asparagus, 

 beans, beets, blackberry, cabbage, 

 eanna, carrot, cauliflower, celery, cherry, corn, currant, dahlia, dock, 

 eggplant, gooseberry, grape, hollyhock, hyacinth, lambsquarters, 

 morning-glory, muskmelon, onion, parsnip, peas, peanut, pigweed, 

 potato, pumpkin, radish, ragweed, raspberry, rhubarb, Russian thistle, 

 Solatium spp., Spanish needle, squash, sumach, sunflower, sweet potato, 

 turnip, violet, watermelon and various other plants. 



Control. — The application of strong arsenical sprays are recom- 

 mended to protect trees and shrubbery. Cultivated plants have been 

 treated by applying a rather expensive spray composed of Paris green, 

 10 pounds ; lime, 10 pounds, and water, 100 gallons, using about 100 

 gallons to the acre. 275 Neutral lead arsenate, 4 pounds to 100 gallons 

 of water, will doubtless give as good results. Clean culture and 

 burning over waste areas during the winter are also recommended. 



Fig. 390. — Adult male and female of the 

 yellow bear caterpillar, Diacrisia virginica 



(Fab.). Natural size. (Original) 



THE SPOTLESS FALL WEB-WORM 



Hyphantria textor Harris (Family Arctiidse) 



( Fig. 391) 



Description. — The adults are slightly over 4 inch long and with a 

 wing expanse of li inches. The body is pure white, with yellow 

 markings. The antenna? are white and the abdomen is without black 

 spots. The last two characters separate the species from the fall web- 

 worm, Hyphantria cunea (Drury), of the Eastern States. The full- 



=™Marsh, H. O., Bui. No. 82, pt. V, Bur. Ent., U. S. Dept. Agric, pp. 62-63, 1910. 



