124 THE PESTS OF THE FARM. 



They eat large holes in the leaves, and thereby sometimes greatly 

 injure the plant. Caterpillars of this kind have also been observed 

 on the hop in Europe, from whence ours may have been introduced ; 

 but until specimens from Europe and this country are compared 

 together, in all their states, it will be well to consider the latter as 

 distinct. Our hop-vine caterpillars are false-loopers, bending up the 

 back a little when they creep, because the first pair of prop-legs, 

 found in other caterpillars, is wanting in them. The rings of their 

 bodies are rather prominent, the cross-lines between them being 

 deep. They are of a green color, with two longitudinal white lines 

 along the back, a dark green line in the middle between them, and 

 an indistinct whitish line on each side of the body. The head is 

 green, and very regularly spotted with minute black dots, from each 

 of which arises a very short hair. There are similar dots and hairs 

 arranged in two transverse rows on each of the rings. When dis- 

 turbed they bend their bodies suddenly and with a jerk, first on 

 one side and then on the other, each time leaping to a considerable 

 distance, so that it is difficult to catch or hold them. They make 

 no' webs on the leaves, and do not suspend themselves by silken 

 threads like the Geometers ; but they are very active, creep fast, 

 and soon get upon the leaves again after leaping off. When fully 

 grown they are about eight-tenths of an inch long. They then form 

 a thin, imperfect, silky cocoon within a folded leaf, or in some 

 crevice or sheltered spot, and are changed to brownish chrysalids, 

 which present nothing remarkable in their appearance. Three 

 weeks afterwards the moths come forth from these cocoons. There 

 are two broods of these insects in the course of the summer. The 

 caterpillars of the first brood appear in May and June, and are 

 transformed to moths towards the end of June, and during the early 

 part of July, Those of the second brood appear in July and Au- 

 gust, and are changed to moths in September. The insects of the 

 second brood are much the most numerous usually, and do much 

 more damage to the hop-vine than the others. 



The means for destroying the hop-vine caterpillars are showering 

 or syringing the plants with strong soap-suds, or with a solution of 

 oil-soap in water, in the proportion of two pounds of the soap to 

 fourteen or fifteen gallons of water. 



THE BEE-MOTH. The bee-moth belongs to the group of Cram- 

 bians of the Tinea3. Doubtless it was first brought to this country, 

 with the common hive-bee, from Europe, where it is very abundant, 

 and does nrich mischief in hives. Very few of the Tinece exceed 



