16 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLEilTN 239 



festation, for it will save spraying in the growing season with its mechanical 

 injury to the vines. This spray will kill the worms too, and it should be ap- 

 plied about June 6 if earlier treatment has been neglected, and the bog also 

 has a large .spittle-insect or leafhopper infestation. 



Red'-striped Fireworm." 



This insect never harms bogs that are flooded completely during the winter. 

 It is much less important than either of the firewornis already discu.ssed, but 

 it occasionally develops a severe infestation on a dry bog. It sometimes works 

 with the yellow-headed fireworm. 



Description and Food Plants. 



This New Jersey and Massachusetts pest has not been recorded as harming 

 bogs elsewhere. It ranges from Maine to Virginia and western Texas. Swamp 

 blueberry and dwarf blueberry"" are its favorite food plants. They usually 

 harbor large numbers of the worms in the fall everywhere in the eastern part 

 of the State. It also attacks deerberry-\ low blueberry-, dangleberry-'', black 

 huckleberry-^ male berry-^, fetter buslr", and leather leaf". 



Character of Injur if. 



Some of the newly hatclied worms go directly to the tips of the new growth, 

 bvit many first mine the l.)asal p;irt of the blade of the old leaf between which 

 and the stem the egg was held, entering it from the upper surface and covering 

 the entrance with a mass of green castings (figs. 13 and 14-). 



The webbing begins among the terminal leaves but is not very conspicuous 

 there. As the season advances it is extended farther and farther down the 

 shoot and often two or three uprights are sewed together (fig. 1.5). This 

 species webs its nests more closely than the other firewornis do, and forms in 

 them a characteristic irregular tubular case of silk covered with brown cast- 

 ings (fig.. 16). The worms are parasitized considerably, but their nests are a 

 far better protection than those of other fireworms and they keep much more 

 concealed in them. 



Description and I'^easonal Historif. 



Most of tlie worms lenve tlieir cases during bite .September and Octolier and 

 g© down into the trash and surface sand of the bog floor to remain dormant 

 until the next spring. A few remain in their nests, many of which break off 

 and drop during the winter. They pupate one after another during most of 

 May and June. The moths usually appear froiu soon after mid-May until 

 into Auaust, those found toward the last being adults of a second brood. 



19. ('•elechia Irialbamaculella Cham. 



20. Vaccinium pennsyhanicum Lam. 



21. Vacciniiun stamineum L. 



22. Vaccinium racillaus Kalm. 



23. Gaylussacia frondosa (L.) T. & G. 



24. Gaylussacia baccata (Wang.) C. Koch. 

 2.T. Lyonia liRuslrina (L.) DC. 



26. Leucolhoe racemosa (L.) Gray. 



27. Chamaedaphne calyculata (L.) Moench. 



