January gth, iQr2.'] PROCEEDINGS. xix 



with a view to controlling the Brown-tail Moth in those counties 

 of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in which it has established 

 itself. This work chiefly consists in scouting the countryside 

 for the winter webs of the caterpillars, and the destruction of 

 these where found. Some of these webs contain enormous 

 numbers of caterpillars ; a single web or nest collected in Nova 

 Scotia was found to contain over 1800 caterpillars, which 

 indicates the importance of destroying even single webs. The 

 insects occur mostly upon the fruit trees, but also on the wild 

 varieties of apple, rose, and thorn, and on hardwoods such as 

 oak, elm, maple, &c. In places where winter webs are found in 

 considerable abundance, the trees are thoroughly sprayed after 

 the appearance of the foliage. When the pest first arrived in 

 Canada it was believed by many that the winters would be too 

 severe for the young hibernating caterpillars. Experience has 

 shown that this is not so, and experiments have proved that 

 winter webs containing live larvae will stand being frozen in a 

 solid block of ice for nearly two months, after which about thirty 

 per cent, of the larvae are still alive. The parasitic enemies of 

 the insect are being studied, and the Division of Entomology 

 will attempt to use these means in endeavouring to obtain a 

 natural control of the pest. In the work of scouting for and 

 destroying the winter webs, the Federal Department is assisted 

 by the Provincial Department of Agriculture. 



The Division of Entomology. 



In addition to the work of inspecting and fumigating trees 

 and plants imported into Canada carried on under the Destructive 

 Insect and Pest Act, and the Brown-tail Moth control work, 

 which activities have already been described briefly, the Division 

 of Entomology also carries on many other lines of work. The 

 problems of insect control are intimately related to agriculture, 

 horticulture which includes fruit-growing, forestry, public health 

 and other activities of man ; in proportion as these activities 

 increase in importance, the knowledge of the means of insect 



