PROCEEDINGS, 1915. 93 



THE TUSSOCK MOTH IN NOVA SCOTIA. 



By G. E. Sanders, Field Officer in Charge 

 Dominion Entomotogical Laboratory, Annapoliz Royal, N. S. 



f I ''HE white marked Tussock Moth is common throughout Nova 

 ■*- Scotia and periodically does extensive damage to orchard and 

 shade trees. The last serious outbreak in the Annapolis Valley oc- 

 curred in 1906. In 1912 a heavy outbreak occurred in Halifax with an 

 accompanying slight outbreak in the Valley. The Brown Tail Moth In- 

 spectors' reports for 1914-15 showed Tussock Moth egg masses scatter- 

 ing throughout the Valley. During the summer of 1915 many larvae were 

 noticed, and in a few cases serious damage to the fruit was seen, one Non- 

 pareil tree in Mochelle showing at least 50 per cent of the fruit eaten and 

 made worthless by Tussock larvae. It would appear, therefore, that we 

 are at the beginning of what may prove a serious outbreak of Tussocks 

 and it would pay any orchardist to examine his trees, pick off the winter 

 egg masses and to add plenty of poison to his last summer spray, or the 

 spray applied about June 25-30 in 1916. 



How to Identify the Tussock Moth. 



The most common species in Nova Scotia is the White Marked Tus- 

 sock Moth, Hemerocampa leucostigma Stea. The eggs of this species are 

 deposited on the old pupa case and may be found among the twigs and 

 branches of the tree. There are about 150 medium sized white eggs in 

 the mass which is covered with a white froth or frosting. The eggs are 

 deposited about August 30 and hatch the next season about June 27.- 

 The caterpillar which reaches maturity about August 11 is, when full 

 grown, from 1 1-4 to 1 1-2 inches in length, hairy, with two characteristic 

 tufts or pencils of long black hairs projecting forward from either side of 

 its head, and one projecting backward from the tip of th- body just above 

 the anal plate; there are four short, dense tufts of white hairs in a row 

 along the back, just behind which are two vermillion red raised glands; 

 the head and thoracic shield just back of the head are also vermillion red. 



In the adult, the male has wings and is a strong flier, is rather 

 pretty, somewhat inconspicuous brown moth with a characteristic white 

 spot on the inner angle of the front wing. The female has no wings but 

 emerges from the pupa case which is formed among the branches and 

 fruit spurs, deposits her eggs on the outside of this case, covers them with 

 froth and dies, without having moved an inch from where the pupa case 

 was formed. 



Remedies. 



The date of applying the last summer spray or spray 4, from June 25 



