THE TRUE ARMY WORM AND ITS CONTROL. . 5 
appearance of the army worm in regions far removed from any 
known source of infestation. The moth, however, seems to be present 
in small numbers, over most of the area in which it occurs, during a 
portion of every year, but this fact does not account for the sudden 
great invasions which occur from time to time. 
WHEN INVASIONS MAY BE EXPECTED. 
Generally speaking, outbreaks of the true army worm are more 
common following cold, backward springs and should be looked for 
first in neglected portions of fields upon which rank growths of wild 
grasses or lodged and fallen unripe grain are to be found. These 
should be examined frequently and closely, especially during late 
April, May, June, and early July, in order to discover the small 
greenish caterpillars, which may be found in great numbers feeding 
near the surface of the ground under the sheltering, overhanging leaf 
blades. 
LIFE HISTORY. 
The army worm, like many other common insect pests, has four 
forms or stages, as follows: First, the parent moths or millers, which 
seek out rankly growing grass or grasslike grains, such as millet, 
upon which they lay their eggs (fig. 2, ¢). From these eggs hatch 
the little caterpillars or ‘“ worms,” which feed and grow rapidly. 
When full grown they shed their skins and change to the brown 
pupa or resting stage, usually beneath the surface of the soil. From 
these pup come the parent moths, which in turn mate and lay their 
eggs, thus providing for another brood of caterpillars. There are 
usually three generations of caterpillars in any one year, but seldom 
or never two successive outbreaks in any given locality. 
THE EGG STAGE. 
The eggs are laid by the parent moths at night, usually in the 
folded blades or under the leaf sheaths of grains and grasses (fig.2,¢). 
These resemble small white beads, each considerably smaller than 
the head of a common pin, and are deposited in masses or rows on 
the plants selected. Moist or shaded spots usually are chosen for 
this purpose by the moths, many of which seem to congregate and 
lay their eggs in the same locality. These eggs hatch in from 8 to 
10 days and from them come the very small greenish caterpillars 
er “ worms.” 
THE CATERPILLAR OR LARVAL STAGE. 
When the caterpillars are first hatched they are very tiny and, 
although countless thousands of them may be present, they consume, 
