68 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



The Forest Tent Caterpillar. 



This insect is closely related in its habits to the ordinary orchard 

 or apple tent caterpillar which is known to everybody. It, how- 

 ever, does not build a large tent and further it has as its name 

 implies a greater variety of foods and prefers the forests for its 

 ranging grounds. It eats oaks, maples, ash and other deciduous 

 trees as well as the leaves of fruit and shade trees. These insects 

 strip whole areas of hardwood forests occasionally in like manner 

 as the gypsy moth. They have been quite prevalent in localities 

 in recent years in this state. They are native insects, and their 

 natural enemies have a tendency to keep them in check. Spraying 

 -as for gypsy moths is effective. 



The White Pine Weevil. 



This is the insect that is responsible for destroying the leader 

 in young white pine trees. It is very destructive causing the young 

 pines that come up in the open pastures to become very limby 

 and hence make poor merchantable lumber when mature. In 

 young plantations they are often very destructive. The past 

 season was one of the worst we have experienced for this insect. 



The adult insect is similar to the plum curculio in appearance 

 only much larger. It lays its eggs in the terminal shoot. These 

 eggs hatch and live as larvae or grubs in this shoot until they are 

 fully grown and have done all of their eating. They then change 

 to the beetle form and deposit eggs for future generations. This 

 main shoot should be cut or broken out while the grubs are working 

 therein and burned, thereby destroying future generations. This 

 insect is native but with our decreasing natural stands of white 

 pine they become more concentrated upon our remaining area. 

 Our plantations of young white pine should be gone over each year 

 while the leaders are easily gotten at. Pruning and thinning with 

 an idea of forest improvement of course will aid in overcoming the 

 work of this insect. 



