302 INJURIOUS INSECTS, WITH TREATMENT 



Blister-beetle (Lytta, two or three species). Soft-shelled, long-necked 

 and slim black or gray spry beetles, feeding on the leaves of 

 many trees and garden plants. 



Treatment. Arsenicals. Jarring. 



Brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea} . This highly destruc- 

 tive European insect was introduced near Boston a number of 

 years ago, and is now rapidly spreading over New England. The 

 snow-white moths, with a large tuft of brown hairs at the tip of 

 the abdomen, appear in July and deposit eggs on the leaves in 

 elongate masses covered with brown hairs from the body of the 

 female. ' The caterpillars become only partly grown the first season, 

 and hibernate in conspicuous nests, three or four inches long, at 

 the tips of the branches. The black-bodied caterpillars, clothed 

 with rather long, brownish, stinging hairs, complete their growth 

 the next spring, feeding ravenously on the tender foliage and 

 causing great damage in orchards, parks, and forests. 



Treatment. Cut out and burn all winter nests before the buds 

 start. In the spring spray with arsenate of lead, as recommended 

 for the gipsy-moth. Prevent the ascent of caterpillars from 

 other trees by banding the trunks with tanglefoot. Keep the 

 bands fresh by combing the surface every few days. 

 Cutworm. Various species of Agrotis and related genera. Soft 

 brown or gray worms, of various kinds, feeding on the roots, 

 crown, or even the tops of plants. 



Treatment. Encircle the stem of the plant with heavy paper 

 or tin, coating the top with tanglefoot. Arsenicals sprinkled 

 upon small bunches of fresh grass or clover, which are scattered 

 at short intervals about the garden towards evening. They will 

 . often collect under boards or blocks. Arsenicals mixed with 

 shorts and placed about the plants. Make two or three deep holes 

 by the side of the plant with a pointed stick ; the worms will 

 fall in and cannot escape. Dig them out. Plow infested land in 

 the fall to give birds a chance to find the worms. 

 Cutworm, Climbing. Several species. The worms climb grape vines 

 and small trees of various kinds at night and eat out the buds. 



Preventive. Band of cotton batting tied about the tree by lower 

 edge, and the top rolled down like a boot-leg. Baits (see p. 293). 



Treatment. Arsenicals. Hellebore. 



