288 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 1906. 



RED-HUMPED CATERPILLAR. CEDEMASIA 

 CONCINNA. 



During August, September and October, the red-humped 

 caterpillar is one of the most troublesome orchard caterpillars 

 in the State. During 1905 more than 80 lots of these cater- 

 pillars were sent to the Maine Experiment Station for identi- 

 fication. Many correspondents reported that entire orchards 

 of young trees were stripped of their foliage, except for the 

 mid ribs of the leaves, before the presence of the pest had 

 been discovered. 



Life History and Description. The mature insect is an incon- 

 spicuous brown moth with wing expanse of slightly more than 

 one inch. The female deposits eggs on the under side of a 

 'leaf in a cluster, usually during July. The young caterpillars, 

 which soon hatch from these eggs, feed upon the tender tissues 

 of the under side of the leaf, not attacking at first the upper 

 surface. When they become larger they devour the whole leaf 

 except the mid rib. They move in flocks, an entire brood 

 feeding together and remaining in a cluster when resting. In 

 the caterpillar or larval stage (Fig. 27) this insect is readily 

 recognized. The body of the caterpillar is marked with fine 

 longitudinal stripes of black, white and yellow, and short black 

 spines occur in rows. The head is bright red and the first 

 segment of the abdomen, which is conspicuously humped, is of 

 the same color. The caterpillar in the early stages is not so 

 distinctively marked, however, as the body of the young cater- 

 pillar is a dull amber and the head black, the striped markings 

 and the red head not appearing until a later molt. The cater- 

 pillars reach their full growth (about 1^4 inches) from August 

 to late October. When full grown, they descend to the ground 

 and hide under leaves or other rubbish and make a glassy 

 transparent cocoon, within which they pass their pupal period. 

 They remain in the cocoon all winter and emerge the following 

 season as mature moths. 



Remedies. The red-humped caterpillars are not especially 

 difficult to combat if a watch is kept for the colonies while they 



