Character of Injury 

 The work of this insect is hke that of the armywonn (page 32). 



Description 



THE EGG 



The moths lay their eggs mostly at night, in masses of from fifty to five hundred, 

 preferably on grass blades, though they may place them on any plant suitable as 

 food for the young worms. Low-lying fields of grass or small grains often are 

 chosen for this, so the outbreaks usually begin on bottom land. Sometimes the 

 eggs are laid on lawns. They are light gray and always are covered with grayish 

 down from the moth's body. Each egg is much flattened at the base. This stage 

 lasts a week or more in the Northern States. 



THE WORM 



The newly hatched caterpillar has a black head and whitish body. As they 

 mature, the worms (Plate Two, figs. 8a and 8b) much resemble armyworms and 

 vary greatly in color. The body is striped lengthwise on a ground color varying 

 from buff to dull gray or nearly black. A pale yellow line divides lengthwise 

 the broad mottled-buff stripe covering most of the back. On each side of this 

 broad stripe is a light line, then a dark stripe, and lastly — down toward the legs— 

 a hght yellow stripe mottled with reddish. The under side is pale, varying from 

 buff to green, and often tinged with red, especially toward the sides. Tubercles, 

 each with one hair, appear plainly as dark dots, particularly along the back. The 

 head is rather light brown to almost black, is mottled with pale yellow, and al- 

 ways has an inverted, though not conspicuous, white "Y" on the face. The 

 cervical shield varies from light brown to nearly black. The worm matures in 

 about four weeks in the North, becoming an inch and a quarter long. 



THE PUPA 



The pupa is formed in a cell an inch or so in the ground. It is like that of 

 the armyworm but a little smaller, being one-half to three-fourths of an inch long. 

 It is light green at first but soon turns light brown and finally dark brown. The 

 spiracles with areas partly surrounding them usually appear as dark spots along 

 the sides. 



THE MOTH 



The moth expands from an inch to one and three-eighths inches and has a 

 pale-brown body. The forewings of some specimens (Plate One, fig. 9) are mottled 

 brown, with one whitish area near the tip and another running back obliquely 

 from near the middle of the front margin; those of others are uniformly dark 

 grayish brown. The hindwings are whitish with a pearly or pinkish luster and 

 edged with smoky brown. An erect tuft of scales on each side of the hind end 

 of the dorsum of the thorax and a similar tuft on the middle of the base of the 

 dorsum of the abdomen are noticeable. A row of dark spots runs along each side 

 of the venter. 



The moths are strongly attracted to lights. 



Treatment 



FLOODING 



On hogs that cannot be reftooded. — The Bureau of Entomology of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture notes the more severe outbreaks of this pest 

 in the South and predicts their spread into the North. Growers planning to hold 

 flowage till July should consult the Bureau as to the chance of an invasion. 



[35] 



