UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



M^ BULLETIN No. 1028 



<MkSiS<i»>!^ Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 



L. O. HOWARD, Cliief 



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JIU^'^^U 



Washington, D. C, 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



March 13, 1922 



APANTELES MELANOSCELUS, AN IMPORTED PARASITE 

 OF THE GIPSY MOTH. 



By S. S. Ckossman,^ Entomological Assistant, Oipsy Moth and Brown-Tail Moth 



Investigations. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Part I. — Description and life his- 

 tory 2 



History 2 



Distribution in Europe 3 



Description of species 3 



Methods used in biological work- 4 



Life history 5 



Seasonal history 11 



Feeding of parasitized larvffi 



versus nonparasitized larvs 12 



Longevity experiments 12 



Hosts of A. melanosceliis 12 



Part II. — Introduction and estab- 

 lishment 14 



European work 14 



Comparison of seasonal history 



in Sicily and New England 1.5 



Page. 

 Part II. — Introduction and estab- 

 lishment — Continued. 



Abundance of A. melanosceliis 



in Sicily 15 



Secondary parasitism in Sicily_ 16 



Colonization in New England- _ 16 



Methods used to obtain material 



for colonization 18 



Success of colonies and distribu- 

 tion of A. melanosceliis 21 



Dispersion 22 



Secondary parasitism 23 



The value of A. melanosceliis as 



a gipsy moth parasite 23 



Abundance of A. melanoscelus in 



New England 24 



Conclusion 25 



INTRODUCTION. 



From the year 1905 to December 1, 1911, the State of Massachu- 

 setts and the Bureau of Entomology, United States Department of 

 Agriculture, shared the expenses involved in carrying on an investi- 

 gation of the natural insect enemies of the gipsy moth {Porthettna 

 dispar L.) and the brown-tail moth {Ewproctis chrysorrhoea L.) in 

 Europe and of the introduction of parasites of these insects from 



1 Tlie writer wishes to acknowledge the efforts of all those who have been connected with 

 the Gipsy Moth Laboratory during the period covered by this report, who have assisted at 

 various times in gathering and recording some of the data from which this bulletin has been 

 prepared. H. A. Preston and C. E. Hood took most of the photographs and W. N. Dovener 

 made the drawing of the adult Apanteles. He wishes especially at this time to express 

 his appreciation and thanks to A. F. Burgess, who has general direction of the work, 

 for his help and suggestions. 

 73070° — 22 1 



