404 



INJURIOUS AND BENEFICIAL INSECTS OF CALIFORNIA. 



laid on the leaves of the live oaks. Upon the leaves of the live oaks 

 the larva- spend the winter in an active feeding stage and transform 

 into adults about the first of April. 289 Eggs are laid soon after this 



upon the new foliage of the de- 

 ciduous oaks as well as upon the 

 leaves of the live oak trees. 

 These hatch into the summer 

 brood, which is often very large 

 and quite destructive. This 

 brood has been responsible for 

 repeatedly stripping the large 

 oak trees in San Mateo and Santa 

 Clara counties. By June large 

 numbers of the caterpillars have 

 become full-grown and pupate 

 on the bark of the tree or almost 

 anywhere in the vicinity of the 

 infested trees. They hang by the 

 tail and do not spin a cocoon, the 

 body remaining perfectly naked 

 throughout the pupal stage. In 

 a very short time the adults ap- 

 pear, and after mating the 

 females deposit their eggs upon 

 the foliage of the oak trees. 

 These hatch into the overwintering larvae. Three broods have been 

 reported, 290 but this seems to be out of the ordinary, as there are 



n o r m a 1 1 y but two 



broods, as given above. 

 Nature of Work. — 

 The caterpillars devour 

 the leaves and not in- 

 frequently completely 

 defoliate large oak trees 

 over considerable areas. 

 This occurred in the 

 summer of 1913, when 

 hundreds of trees in 

 Santa Clara and San 

 Ma + eo counties were en- 

 tirely stripped of prac- 

 tically every lent'. 



Distribution. — This 

 moth is most abundant 

 in the central and 

 southern parts of the 

 State, more particularly to the coast regions of Santa Clara, Santa 

 Cruz and San Mateo counties. 



Pig. 406. — Adult and eggs of the Cali- 

 fornia oak moth, Phryganidia californica 



Pack., on leaf of the coast live oak. Nat- 

 ural size. (Original > 



Fig. 407. — Pupre of the California oak moth, 

 Phryganidia californica Pack. Slightly enlarged. 

 (Photo by Leroy Childs) 



"Kellogg, V. L„ Ent. News, Vol. VII, pp. 174-175, 1S96. 

 "Fifth Rept. U. S. Ent. Com., p. 123, 1890. 



