14 Farmers’ Bulletin 1258. 
growth about the 1st of June, and it is at this time that they cause 
the injury to young corn. They have also been reported destroying 
fields of small grain in early spring. The moths emerge during 
June and lay eggs for the second or summer generation. 
The worms of this summer generation reach maturity during July, 
and are responsible for damage to meadows, pastures, and lawns. In 
the southern portions of the insect’s range, and in favorable seasons 
farther north, moths of this second generation appearing in late 
July give rise to still another generation which appears in late Sep- 
tember and October, but this third generation when present is usually 
smaller and of no economic importance except that it provides the 
small larve which pass the winter. 
The worms of this species are vigorous and active and feed freely. 
They construct definite tubular burrows opening at the surface and 
feed by cutting off the leaves and dragging them down into their re- 
treats. Each worm during its life eats from 7 to 13 linear feet of 
blue-grass leaf or its equivalent, and as there are often thousands 
of them to the acre, it is evident that they may very materially reduce 
the amount of pasturage for stock or grass for hay. 
SILVER-STRIPED WEBWORM.’ 
The silver-striped webworm should be mentioned because of a 
single small outbreak which occurred in the spring of 1919 in Con- 
necticut. A small field of corn following spring-plowed grass sod 
became practically a to- 
tal loss because of these 
worms. They worked 
very much as does the 
cornroot webworm, cut- 
ting into the stalk be- 
low ground and either 
kiling the plant out- 
right or causing it to 
become hopelessly  de- 
formed. Previous to q 
this outbreak occasional Fi. 12.—Adult of silver-striped webworm. About 
three times natural size. 
» 
Se 
Th i, iN 
Nt Gree, 
t EOS 
ay 8 
Ny 
specimens had been taken 
on various plants, including timothy, wheat, and corn, but not in 
sufficient numbers to warrant calling it a pest: 
The worm is dirty white or gray, with a pale yellow head, quite 
conspicuously blotched with brown. The moth (fig. 12) is bronze 
yellow with a single silver stripe running lengthwise in the middle of 
the forewing. The species is of wide distribution over the eastern 
7Crambus praefectellus Zincken. 
