The buds at the tips of the uprights do not develop to form the 

 new growth to any extent before many of the worms have become 

 a third grown or more, and as these worms show a decided prefer- 

 ence for the more tender portions of the vines they first attack the 

 buds and devour them entirely, or eat out their centers, leaving a 

 sort of shell. As each bud might produce a " rough-neck," bearing 

 several blossoms, the actual injury done is out of all proportion to 

 the amount of plant tissue consumed. Few growers notice this first 

 injury, it being only when the new growth has become well developed 

 and they see the leaves and blossom buds disappearing in damaging 

 quantities that they realize that the insect is seriously destructive. 

 Yet this early injury should not be overlooked, for it is a very im- 

 portant part of the sum total of the work which the insect does. 



In dealing with this insect, it is important to know early in the 

 spring, whether the bog is infested, and, if so, how serious the 

 trouble is likely to be. Some evidence on this point might be gained 

 by a careful search for the eggs very early in May. If a bog has 

 been troubled in one season, it is likely to be infested again the fol- 

 lowing year, though this is not necessarily the case. For some time 

 after the young caterpillars hatch, they may be easily swept from the 

 vines by means of a collector's net. Such a net greatly facilitates 

 the examination of a bog, while the worms are in their early stages, 

 for by sweeping the vines with it vast numbers of them, which would 

 not otherwise be noticed, are brought to light. By this means, after 

 some practice, a person may very readily determine to what extent a 

 bog is infested. In general, it may be said that, if only four or five 

 caterpillars are collected by fifty sweeps of an ordinary net, when 

 tried on various parts of a bog, the infestation is only slight, and 

 would better, in most cases, be disregarded unless abundant water 

 supply is available. If, however, every fifty sweeps collects fifteen to 

 twenty or more, the trouble is likely to be serious and treatment is 

 needed. 



Reflowing a bog for twenty-four hours will destroy these cater- 

 pillars in all stages or wash tiiem ashore, where they will feed readily 

 on grasses and weeds, and, if there be even a shallow ditch filled 

 with water surrounding the bog, they will not crawl back to do in- 

 jury. They should not, however, be allowed to live on the margins 

 and come to maturity there, to reinfest the vines the following 

 season. 



