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Natural Enemies. — A single tachinid fly (Archytes aterriiua 
Desv. )* has been bred from this cutworm in IlHnois, but three 
species of these flies and several hymenopterous parasites have been 
reported to infest it elsewhere. None of these, however, is of 
much importance in lessening its numbers. 
Remedial Measures. — In the greenhouse, for such vegetables as 
lettuce, insecticides may best be used in the form of a poisoned bait. 
Successful experiments against cutworms were made by me in a 
Chicago greenhouse this year (1908) with both poisoned bran and 
poisoned lettuce leaves. In lettuce houses the latter will usually be 
the most convenient. If the soil is new, and especially if it is a sod 
soil, lettuce leaves should be laid on the beds and dry Paris green 
sprinkled lightly over them before the crop is planted. Or if the 
lettuce has already been planted, it should be pulled up if cutworms 
are abundant, and a row of lettuce leaves should be laid along each 
side or in the center of the bed, and then poisoned. Even tho there 
are but very few^ cutworms in the greenhouse, it is always best to 
repeat this process at the final gathering of each crop. It is but 
little trouble to lay fresh refuse leaves along the bed and sprinkle 
them with the poison. 
Fig. 23. Trap lantern for adults of cutworm. 
A lantern trap (Fig. 23) is also useful in the greenhouse. This 
consists of a tub with an inch or two of water in the bottom and 
a little kerosene to form a surface film, and a lantern is hung over 
the tub to be kept burning for several nights. The moths are at- 
*Determined bv C. A. Hart. 
