132 DDT — ^Killer of Killers 



your winter suit and any other woolen garments you may 

 have around. 



Perhaps you are familiar with the gypsy moth, one of 

 the most destructive pests of fruit and forest trees we have, 

 particularly in the eastern part of the country. Although it 

 doesn't make much difference any more, the gypsy moth is a 

 native of Europe, and was brought to this country in 1866 

 by a French naturalist who was experimenting with silk- 

 worms. Some of his specimens escaped to the woods, and 

 now we spend millions of dollars a year in trying to control 

 this one insect alone. 



But now DDT has entered the battle between man and 

 the moth, and the moths had better watch out, for they just 

 can't take it. Spray your clothes and other woolens with a 

 5 % DDT solution, and the deposit left after evaporation of 

 the solvent will keep your garments free from moths for at 

 least six months. However, if you have your clothes dry 

 cleaned, the naphtha or other solvent your cleaner uses will 

 dissolve out the DDT, so you will have to re-spray the 

 freshly-cleaned garments. Deodorized kerosene can be used 

 as the solvent for your DDT moth-proofing spray, but you 

 will probably prefer to have the DDT dissolved in cleaner's 

 naphtha, for it evaporates much more rapidly than does the 

 kerosene. Incidentally, DDT kills both the adult moths and 

 the larvae by contact. 



For the control of the gypsy moth, tent caterpillar, and 

 similar pests on your shade and fruit trees, you will probably 

 prefer to use a spray prepared with about 1 pound of 50% 

 DDT wettable powder per 100 gallons of water, or an emul- 

 sion containing about /4o% DDT. For large areas of for- 

 est trees, the application of a DDT-oil spray or an emulsion 



