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Insects of Shade Trees and Their Control. 7 
larger branches, as for scale insects, may often be saved from serious 
injury or utter ruin by the application of an insecticide with a paint 
or whitewash brush. With proper protection of the painter’s hands 
and face even lime sulphur, which is somewhat caustic to the bare 
skin, may be used to advantage, for it is considerably cheaper than 
other preparations, and a brush application will insure against pos- 
sible injury to paints on buildings near by. The brush has also the 
advantage of being perhaps least costly and it is certainly the simplest 
tool for the purpose. 
THE MOP. . 
The mop may consist of nothing more than a bundle of rags tied 
to the end of a pole. Saturated with kerosene or creosote it may 
be used for daubing tent caterpillars and webworms or tussock-moth 
eggs, which are thus killed most rapidly. If lighted, the kerosene- 
soaked mop may be converted into a torch and webs burned out, 
provided it is handled deftly so that the live wood is not burned. 
TREE BANDING. 
INDISCRIMINATE USE OF BANDS FUTILE. 
The habit of some insects, at certain definite stages of their lives, 
of traveling in mass along the tree trunk has suggested the use of 
bands as barriers or traps. Against certain wingless female moths, 
also, like cankerworm moths, this method of control may be made 
operative. Various materials are serviceable for this purpose, gunny- 
sacking, cotton batting, and fine-mesh wire screen being employed 
and, in recent years, certain sticky substances have come into quite: 
general use. 
It is evident that the usefulness of such bands is restricted to tree- 
infesting insects having the habits above mentioned. Unfortunately 
many people have gained the erroneous impression, especially since 
the use of sticky bands has come into vogue, that these bands are 
a panacea for all tree troubles caused by insects. The result has 
naturally been the indiscriminate use of bands, often with the dis- 
astrous consequences that might have been expected under the cir- 
cumstances. There is no royal road to insect control. The bands, 
even where the insect’s habit allows of their usefulness, will be effec- 
tive only when watched constantly so that clogging, bridging, drying 
up, and other contingencies may be guarded against. Banding 
should be resorted to only after consultation with an entomologist. 
Wherever applicable, the following bands are recommended: 
COTTON BATTING. 
Take a band of cotton batting 6 to 8 inches wide and a little longer 
than sufficient to encircle the trunk of the tree at a convenient height, 
wrap it around the tree, and tie the bottom edge of it securely, turn- 
5692°—20——_2 
