1871 



THE POMOLOGIST AND GARDENER. 



fntamologg. 



Dr. S. H. Eridelbauob, Editor, Clarinda, Iowa. 



Tine Fall 'Web-'Worm.— Hypbantrla Textor— 

 Harris. 



Ed. PoMoiiOGisT AND (jrARDENEK : — I enclose a 

 curraut leal' and inotb that was ai)parently in the 

 act of laying when captured. A few day.s since I 

 found similar eggs on an apple leaf. 



D. M. DiMMICK. 



OiMwa, Iowa. 



Remarks. — This lepidopterious insect is one of 

 three which are all taken for the Tent Caterpillar 

 of the orchard, viz.: The Tent Caterpillar of the 

 oichavd, {C'lmucanpa A-mericana); the Tent Cater- 

 pillar of the Forest, (Clisiocumpa tiylvatica) ; and 

 the Fall Web-Worm, (Ilypliantna Textor) all of 

 which spin thread and form web from the time 

 they are hatched until they are ready to pass into 

 the third insect condition, the pupa state ; but their 

 habits in this particular are different. The C. 

 Americana, spins its tent in the forks of limbs of 

 trees, and leaves its tent to travel over the trees for 

 food, the leaves. The C Syhatica spins its teut on 

 the sides of large limbs and the body of trees, and 

 leaves the tent in quest of food, while the subject 

 of our present article spins its tent around the 

 leaves upon which it feeds, in the forks of terminal 

 limbs of trees and shrubs, and never gets outside of 

 its nest until it is full grown and travels to find a 

 favorable place to pass through the pupa state in. 

 Another marked ditterence is that both of the disio- 

 campiu hatch from eggs deposited in bands around 

 the small twigs in Juue and July where they remain 

 through winter until the following spring. The 

 Eypluxntria Texto7- hatches from eggs deposited the 

 last of June and first of July on the leaves of trees 

 and shrubs where they do not winter in the egg 

 condition, but soon become living larvs and com- 

 plete that part of their existence and pass into the 

 pupa state, in which state of rest they pass the win- 

 ter. Another difference is the C. Americana and 

 0. SyCcatica, in their perfect state are reddish-brown 

 moths, (with markings to distinguish them apart,) 

 while the Hyphantria Textor is a white moth. 



In the illustration.?, a. is a drawing of the moth 

 you sent, and her nest of eggs, natural life size, this 

 engraving being made from a photograph taken 

 from the leaf and insect jou sent on the 28th of 

 June, on the 30th day of the same month. The 

 nest of eggs has the appeaiance of white down — 

 like very short cotton — glued to the leaf through 

 which, here and there, protrudes an egg shining 

 like greenish yellow bubbles of water, of the size 

 shown by the white dots in the egg nest at d. 



During Julj' and August, in our latitude, these 

 eggs begin to hatch and the young worms (larva") 

 (rom the time they move until full grown, spin a 

 thread forming a web on the terminal branch of the 

 twig where the eggs were, and are usually deposit- 

 ed on the favorite leaf by the parent in.sect. At 

 first the web only covers one leaf, l)Ut as the pulpy 

 portions of the leaf fails to furnish their voracious 

 appetites they extend their area and take more in 

 until they are full grown, never traveling out for 

 food. " When young, the worms are pale-yellow 

 with the hairs quite sparse and with two rows of 

 black marks along the body and a black head. 

 When full grown they generally appear pale-yel- 

 lowish greenish with a broad dusky stripe along the 

 back and a yellow stripe along the sides, and they 

 are covered with whitLsh hairs which spring from 

 the black and orange-yellow warts." — Riley. When 

 full grown the worms are about one and one-fourth 

 of an inch long, a good idea of which is given at c. 

 As this insect is so variable in its food, the depth of 

 colorii g and markings is also variable. It feeds on 

 almost all kinds of trees and vines only sparing 

 evergreens, AilanthiLS, Sumachs, and grape vines. 



Before cold weather comes the larvae is full grown, 

 and seeks shelter, either in crevices of bark or simi- 

 lar sheltered places above ground, (Harris and 

 Fitch,) or bury them.selves just under the ground, 

 (Riley,)and form their cocoons and pass into chrys- 

 alis d. " of a very dark brown color, glaborous and 

 polished and faintly punctured, and is cluiracterized 

 by a swelling or bulging about the middle." — Riley. 

 In which condition it quietly .spends the winter. 



During the months of May and June the white, 

 very slightly fulvous .shaded moth emerges; "it has 

 immaculate wings, but the front thighs are tawny- 

 yellow and the feet blackish ; in some, the tawny 

 thighs have a large black spot, while the shanks on 

 the upper .surface are rufous; in many all the 

 thighs are tawny-yeliow, while in others they have 

 scarcelj' any color." — Riley. Sec fig. 1, at d. 



At the south this insect is probably two-brooded, 

 but with us it is only single brooded. 



As these worms never leave their webs until full 

 grown, the best means of destroying them is to cut 

 off the twigs as soon as the webs betray them, and 

 burn all up. 



