THE BROWN-TAIL M<»lli. 
I 15 
tail, particularly the Baltimore oriole, cuckoos and yellow- 
throated vireo. "When the mollis commence to emerge they 
join with the sparrows in the slaughter and between them 
large numbers arc destroyed. But as yet the native ene- 
mies have not shown ability to materially check the increase 
of the pest. 
It is well known that in Europe the insect seems to be 
largely controlled by its natural enemies, so that serious 
outbreaks occur but once in a number of years in any one 
locality, in the same manner as do outbreaks of our native 
insects, such as the forest tent caterpillar or white-marked 
tussock moth, which are controlled by native parasites. 
.Many of the parasites and predaceous insects being im- 
ported for the gipsy moth also affect the brown-tail moth 
and others peculiar to it are being imported in large num- 
bers. See pages 121, 122. 
REMEDIES. 
Destruction of the Winter Webs. — Of all the means for 
controlling the brown-tail moth, the destruction of the win- 
ter webs or nests is by far the most important, the most 
practical, economical and efficient. The webs are conspic- 
uous on the tips of the limbs from October to April and 
usually may be readily removed by pole shears or long- 
handled primers. All webs should be collected and burned 
in a stove, as they do not burn readily, and if burned in an 
open fire out of doors some may be merely scorched, and if 
the nests be allowed to lie on the ground or in a brush 
heap the young caterpillars will emerge in spring and 
usually find plenty of food. When the snow is on the 
ground the nests may be more readily found where they 
drop. On large trees with numerous nests it is well to have 
one man below -the tree to point out the nests to two or 
three men doing the pruning, thus saving time and ensur- 
ing thorough work. Long ladders and climbing irons will 
occasionally be necessary for high trees and will be found 
useful by those making a business of collecting the webs. 
All webs should be removed by April 1. 
The question is often asked, "Will it pay me to clean 
the webs from my own trees if my neighbor does not?" 
A glance at figure 31 will answer this better than argument. 
From the habits of the pest it is apparent that but little 
spread takes place except by the winged moths in late sum- 
mer. If the caterpillars are so abundant as to spread from 
neighboring property they may be prevented by sticky 
bands on the uninfested trees as described below. 
