352 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I908. 



So far as practicable "remedial measures" are not discussed 

 here for the reason that descriptive circulars dealing with the 

 standard injurious insects of the State are always on file to be 

 mailed to persons requiring such information. 



Station notes were recorded this season for something over 

 300 lots of insects, selections from which are contained in this 

 bulletin. The Lot numbers here given are merely reference to 

 Station records for the species in question and have no signifi- 

 cance beyond permanently linking the published account to the 

 Station collection and notes which is in some cases desirable. 



The Gypsy and Brown-tail Moths. 



As dangerous insects in this State, these moths are of first 

 rank. Little need be recorded of them in this present bulletin 

 as they are discussed adequately in so much constantly available 

 literature. Descriptive circulars are sent out both by this Sta- 

 tion and the Maine Department of Agriculture and the United 

 States Department of Agriculture in reply to inquiries. For 

 information concerning their present status and the work in 

 progress against them for this State the reader is referred to 

 the annual reports of the State Entomologist. The annual 

 report of the Superintendent for Suppressing the Gypsy and 

 Brown-tail moths in Massachusetts, are of no less interest to 

 the neighboring states, as the gigantic experiments with intro- 

 duced parasitic and predaceous enemies of these moths concern 

 not the one state alone but the country at large which will bene- 

 fit from the successful work carried on there. The value of 

 such work cannot be over estimated either from the standpoint 

 of scientific or practical demonstration. 



While the owners of infested trees are for the most part alive 

 to their responsibility as individuals, now and then careless 

 owners of neglected trees still harbor the winter nests of the 

 brown-tail moth evidently trusting to the fates or the State to 

 prevent the consequences. The latter is proving itself willing 

 to help most materially and that the fates are also propitious 

 is indicated by specimens of a predaceous bug (nymphs of prob- 

 ably Podisus modestus) received with a nest of brown-tail 

 moths from Stroudwater, Maine, September 4, 1908, together 

 with the comment that there were "one or more in each of the 

 5 nests examined, feeding upon the young caterpillars." 



