154 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. I904. 



Brown-Tail Moth. Buproctis Chrysorrhcea. 

 History (1734- 1904). 



European laws have been in force for one hundred and 

 seventy years requiring land owners to destroy the winter nests 

 of the brown-tail moths found on their trees, and this moth was 

 described as a common pest in the earliest works on orchard 

 insects. 



About seven years ago the first outbreak of this pest occurred 

 in Somerville and Cambridge, Massachusetts, the centre of the 

 infested region being a florist's establishment where large num- 

 bers of shrubs had been imported from France and Holland. 

 It is thought that the brown-tail moth was accidentally intro- 

 duced upon some of these foreign plants and had become estab- 

 lished in the vicinity before it was noticed. 



Since 1899 this insect has been introduced, — probably repeat- 

 edly, — into Southern New Hampshire, where the infestation is 

 now extended enough to cause alarm. 



Five years ago the moths were captured on Cutts Island, 

 Kittery Point * and the same season the caterpillars were 

 reported from South Berwick where they were supposed to have 

 been imported on rose bushes from Somerville, Mass. The 

 colony at South Berwick was evidently destroyed and the moths 

 on Cutts Island did not at this time continue to breed. 



Late in March, 1904, Kittery was found to be badly infested, 

 the winter nests being common in the pear trees in the village, 

 while a few were located in wild cherry fringe on Badger's 

 Island. Many of these winter nests were gathered and burned 

 by the owners of infested trees and those that remained were 

 destroyed by an expert under the direction of the State Commis- 

 sioner of Agriculture, so that the ravages of the caterpillars 

 were effectually prevented for this season. 



Unfortunately, however, last July, during the time when the 

 moths were on the wing, strong southwesterly winds occurred 

 and the insects are reported to have appeared in great numbers 



* Maine Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. No. 61, pp. 36-39. 



Note. The account of this insect is written with reference to Mass. Crop 

 Report, Vol. 17, No. 3; Mass. State Board of Agriculture, Bulletin of information, 

 The Brown-tail Moth 1898; New Hampshire College, Agr. Exp. Sta., Bui. 107; Me. 

 Agr. Exp. Sta., Bui. No. 61. It is also a record of observations made this season 

 at Kittery. 



