19 Farmers’ Bulletin 1258. 
BLUEGRASS WEBWORM.* 
Occurring throughout the eastern half of the United States and as 
far west as Colorado, the bluegrass webworm (fig. 11) is one of the 
most abundant species, at least in the southern part of its range. 
From May to the end of September the moths are present and often 
very abundant in almost every grassy area and weed patch. The 
moth is of medium size and may be identified by the white scales on 
the top of the head. The wings are yel- 
lowish gray. 
This species is strictly a grass feeder 
and has never been recorded as injurious 
to cultivated crops. As its name indicates, 
its favorite food is bluegrass,* although in 
captivity it can be reared on other grasses, 
including corn. It is included here be- 
cause doubtless it is responsible for many 
prematurely brown pastures and lawns in 
midsummer. 
The worm is dingy yellow and the head 
is without dark markings. The worms are 
hard to find in the field, for their burrows 
are carelessly made and without definite 
shape. They simply web together some 
grass stems and fragments at the base of 
the plant and emerge from this retreat to 
cut off and drag down one blade at a time 
until the whole tuft is bare of all green 
growth. The thousands and scores of 
thousands of these worms that at times 
are present in each acre of pasture severely 
: : curtail the amount of feed available for 
Mic. 10.— Winter nests of cater- stock and reduce the vitality of the plants 
pillars of striped webworm. 
themselves. There are several generations 
of this insect each year, but they so overlap that for all practical pur- 
poses the worms and moths are continuously present. 
BLACK-HEADED SOD WEBWORM.® 
The black-headed sod webworm (fig. 8) is another grass-feeding 
species which, except in a few minor instances, has never been ac- 
eused of injuring cultivated crops. It has shown itself capable, how- 
ever, in several cases, of severe and costly damage to pasture lands 
and lawns. The most conspicuous recorded outbreak of this species 
occurred in northern New York State in the spring of 1881. In this 
2 Crambus teterrellus Zincken, 4 Poa pratensis, 5 Crambus vulgivagellus Clem, 
