US.DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



564 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology, L. O. Howard, Chief. 

 January 29, 1914. 



THE GIPSY MOTH AND THE BROWN-TAIL MOTH, 

 WITH SUGGESTIONS FOR THEIR CONTROL. 



By A. F. BURGESS, 

 In Charge of Gipsy Moth and Brown-tail Moth Investigations. 



INTRODUCTION. 



In 1869 a number of egg clusters of the gipsy moth (Porthetria 

 L.), a destructive insect pest in Europe, were brought from 

 France to Medford, Mass., by a naturalist who was carrying on ex- 

 perimental work with insects. Later in the season some of the cater- 

 pillars escaped, and although none was found in the vicinity during 

 tlie next few years, enough specimens survived to enable the species 

 to establish itself. In the summer of 1889 this insect became so 

 abundant that fruit and shade trees in the neighborhood were com- 

 pletely defoliated, and the caterpillars swarmed over the trees and 

 into the houses and became a serious nuisance. This resulted in the 

 l(ss of valuable trees and in the depreciation of property values in 

 that section. 



For about 10 years effective work against the gipsy moth was car- 



j ried on by the State of Massachusetts, and during this period the 



insect was kept under control. The work was discontinued in 1900, 



li it the species had become so abundant and had caused such wide- 



spread injury by 1905 that systematic work was renewed by the 



State in order to protect the tree growth in the infested area. This 



work has been continued up to the present time, and as the insect 



has spread to other New England States it has become necessary 



! to institute more extensive control measures. 



In 1906, after the gipsy moth had become established in New 

 Hampshire and Rhode Island, as well as in Massachusetts, an ap- 

 propriation was made by Congress for suppressing it, and the Secre- 

 tary of Agriculture was authorized to take all possible measures to 

 I prevent its spread. Since that time work has been carried on each 

 year. The area now known to be infested is shown on the accom- 

 panying map (fig. 1). 



The brown-tail moth (Euproctis chrysorrhcea L.) was first found 

 in the United States in Somerville, Mass., during the summer of 1897 



18474 Bull. 564 14 - 1 



