^14 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I905. 



The yellow-necked caterpillar, Datana ministra, seems also to 

 l3e increasing in this State. During August this species vied 

 with the preceding in troubling orchardists. Means of combat- 

 ing these two species are identical. See figure 19. 



Tent caterpillars. The unsightly webs of the tent caterpillar, 

 Ciisiocampa americana, which had not been numerous for several 

 seasons, were present to a troublesome extent all over the State 

 this spring. 



Stalk borer. In July and August the stalk borer, Papaipema 

 nitella, caused complaint from several localities. The destruc- 

 tion of a crop of sweet corn for two seasons was charged to its 

 account near Gardiner. From Westbrook five specimens of this 

 caterpillar were received with the report : " This pest is destroy- 

 ing my raspberry, blackberry, currant, and gooseberry bushes, 

 corn and dahlia stalks, potato vines and many other kinds of 

 plants, by boring a hole into the plant, usually near the ground 

 but sometimes as many as 30 inches above the surface of the 

 ground, and then eating its way, usually up but sometimes down, 

 until the plant is destroyed." 



Cherry tortrix. An interesting communication from North 

 Newry late in June gave a description of a "yellowish worm 

 one and a quarter inches long, present by thousands in 

 the grass in the meadow." The owner of the meadow 

 feared a "new grass pest." When specimens were asked 

 for, a mass of grass was sent which was webbed solidly 

 together, and writhing with larvae of the cherry tortrix, 

 CaccEcia cerasivorana. They were not eating the grass 

 and further inquiry elicited the information that they had 

 stripped some wild cherry bushes on the meadow border and 

 then had webbed the grass far into the meadow. About 9 cubic 

 inches of the web was saved and the larvje pupated, packing it 

 full of pupal cells. On July 10, 119 fresh looking pupae were 

 counted in this section. During the next few days many moths 

 and a few ichneumons emerged. Brown egg- masses were 

 deposited in thin, Avell varnished layers on the sides of the glass 

 jars and upon leaves, by the imprisoned moths. 



Mourning cloak. Larvae of the mourning cloak butterfly, 

 Euvanessa antiopa, were reported in destructive numbers from 

 several localities upon elm, willow and apple. Fully half of the 

 caterpillars received at the Station (about 200) were parasited by 

 tachina flies. See figure 20. 



