INSECTS AFFECTING GRAINS, GRASSES, FORAGE 119 



At first glance the caterpillars have much the same general 

 appearance as the army worm, but closer examination reveals 

 marked differences. Along each side of the body is a longitudinal 

 pitch-colored stripe, and along the middle is a yellowish-gray 

 stripe about twice as wide, which includes four black dots on 

 each segment. The caterpillars assume the habit of working 

 in armies, but usually do not feed in such large numbers as the 

 true army worms and thus are more difficult to combat. 



Life History. The winter is passed in the pupal state, the 

 pupse being about one-half 

 inch long and being found 

 in cells one-quarter to one- 

 half an inch below the sur- 

 face. The moths emerge 

 in the spring and the 

 females lay their eggs on 

 grass in clusters of fifty or 

 more, each mass being 

 covered with the mouse- 

 colored hairs from the body 

 of the female. The eggs 

 hatch in about ten days 

 and the caterpillars are 

 found 1 during May and 

 June. The complete life 

 history of the insect has 



FIG. 88. The fall army-worm: a, moth, 

 plain gray form; b, fore wing of Pro- 

 denia-like form; c, larva extended; d, 

 abdominal segment of larva, side view ; 

 e, pupa; d, twice natural size, others 

 enlarged one-fourth. (After Chittenden, 

 U. S. Dept. Agr.) 



not been carefully followed, 

 but it seems probable that 

 there are but two complete generations in the North, three gen- 

 erations in the latitude of central and southern Illinois and the 

 District of Columbia, and four in the extreme South. In any 

 event, the destructive brood of caterpillars appears in August and 

 arly September. 



The parent moth is of a " general yellowish, ash-gray color, 

 with the second pair of wings almost transparent, but with a 

 purplish reflection. In extent of wings it measures about 1J 



