YELLOW-NECKED CATERPILLAR 91 



Drury). These caterpillars when young eat the under side or 

 soft parts of leaves, leaving the veins. The older caterpillars 

 devour all of the leaf. 



Description and Habits. When full grown, these caterpillars 

 are two inches long; and are often seen in clusters on the twigs of 

 the trees. They have jet-black heads. The head segment, which 

 is often termed the "neck," is a bright orange yellow, and from 

 this fact the insect is named. A black stripe runs down the middle 

 of the back, and on either side of the body are three black stripes, 

 alternating with four yellow stripes. The body is thinly clothed 

 with long, soft, white hairs. If a limb upon which these cater- 

 pillars are found is jarred, the insects throw the head and tail in 

 the air and may remain several minutes in this position (Fig. 111). 



FIG. 111. Yellow-necked apple tree caterpillar, larva, eggs, and imago. (After Riley.) 



The female moth is reddish brown, has a wing expanse of about 

 two inches, and lays from seventy-five to one hundred eggs in a 

 cluster upon the surface of a leaf. The eggs hatch during the latter 

 part of July and first part of August. 



Control. The colonies may be picked by hand and destroyed 

 or swabbed off the limbs with rags or waste saturated with kero- 

 sene, as recommended for the red-humped caterpillar. If infesta- 

 tion is very serious, the tree may be sprayed with arsenicals while 

 the larvae are still small. 



The Cecropia Moth (Samia cecropia Linn.). This insect is 

 a minor pest, but is conspicuous on account of its large size. It 

 is easily controlled; yet a couple of caterpillars on a young tree, 

 if unchecked, will strip it bare in a short time. This prevents the 

 proper ripening of the wood for winter. 



Appearance and Life History. The full grown caterpillar is 

 three or four inches long, is bluish green, and is covered with 



