10 Farmers’ Bulletin 1258. 
worm are laid by the moths in July and August and soon hatch. : 
The worms feed but little at this time and soon seek their winter 
quarters. 
HABITS, 
When found around corn plants in the spring these worms have a 
distinct yellowish appearance, sometimes almost golden yellow. 
Their heads are yellowish-brown; when nearing full growth they 
become lighter colored. After feeding has been completed they form 
cocoons in the earth, usually an inch or two away from the food 
plant. These cocoons are difficult to find and are often not recognized 
except by chance, because they look like pellets of earth. The time 
at which the worms cease feeding is determined by their stage of 
growth and not by external conditions, such as warm or cool weather, © 
rain or dryness, and cultivation or the lack of it. Some of these 
factors may help or hinder the corn plants in recovering from the 
injury , but they have no perceptible effect on the worms. 
The cornroot webworm is peculiar in that it seldom constructs a 
complete tube of webbing, but merely one side of it, the stem of the 
plant upon which it is feeding supplying the other side. This half 
tube or shield protects it from direct contact with the earth. The 
burrows do not open to the surface and all the feeding is done under- 
ground. The stem is attacked between the earth surface and the 
point where the roots branch. Irregular holes or pits are gnawed 
into the succulent tissue, usually along one side of the stem. Often 
these pits reach the center of the stem and cut off the middle leaf or 
leaves. This habit renders this comparatively small species much 
more destructive than some of the larger species of webworms be- 
cause a plant once attacked usually is deformed beyond the possi- ~ 
bility of recovery. The grower may be deceived by the fair appear- 
ance of the plants above ground and thus be led to believe that most 
of them will recover, but if on examination he finds any considerable 
proportion of the plants infested, he had better plan at once to re- 
plant, using the method outlined in the discussion of control measures 
(p. 15.) , 
STRIPED WEBWORM.? 
The striped webworm (fig. 9), is one of the most common and. 
widespread of the economic species. It occurs throughout the entire 
eastern half of the United States and as far west as Texas, Colorado, 
and South Dakota. It is one of the larger species, the worms when 
full grown being nearly an inch long. It is easily recognized by the 
four narrow, more or less distinct, whitish stripes along the back. 
2 Crambus mutabilis Clem, 
