BROWN-TAIL MOTH AND OTHER ORCHARD MOTHS. IO3 



has always to be kept for them in the orchard, for the colonies 

 are large and ravenous. Orchardists are everywhere familiar 

 with the dark brown egg-masses found upon the twigs and 

 gather and burn them during the winter. Where these escape 

 detection, the caterpillars can be killed in the spring by arsenical 

 sprays. The orchard tent caterpillars construct a nest in a fork 

 of the branches where the whole brood spends nights and cold 

 or cloudy days. These nests, while small, are easily torn out 

 and the colony within destroyed ; or, if neglected then, the cater- 

 pillars may be killed by giving the nest a thorough soaking with 

 kerosene early or late in the day, when the caterpillars are at 

 home. A kerosene swab tied to a long pole is convenient for 

 high nests. A strong alkali, whale-oil soap, or washing powder 

 solution mav be used instead of the kerosene. 



Fall WLB worm. Hyphantria cmiea. 



Another nest-building caterpillar is at present even more com- 

 monly seen in this vicinity than the tent caterpillar. Their 

 unsightly webs are stretched in every neglected orchard and the 

 cherry tangle is full of them. These nests are made much later 

 in the season than those of the tent caterpillars and are easily 

 distinguished from them, as they are looser structures and very 

 irregular, being woven over all the leaves which the brood feeds 

 upon. Arsenical sprays on the leaves near the nest poison the 

 supply next to be enclosed by the web, and the caterpillars feed- 

 ing upon them are killed. Sometimes, however, the webs are 

 discovered too late in the season for poisons to be used on bear- 

 ing trees. Usually the nests are so situated on the branches that 

 while still small they can easily be removed and destroyed. 

 Kerosene or strong alkaline applications can be made as with 

 the tent caterpillars. 



There is no need of confusing the nests of tent caterpillars or 

 fall web worms with those of the brown-tail moth, as the greater 

 size and looser texture of these ungainly webs are distinctive 

 marks. Moreover, unlike those of the brown-tail moth, they 

 contain no living caterpillars in the winter. 



