YElvLOW-NECKitD' CATKRPirjvAR. 293 



YELLOW-NECKED CATERPILLAR. Datana ministra. 



During the late summer the yellow-necked caterpillar is a 

 common orchard pest in Maine. 



Life History and Description. The moth is tannish brown 

 in color with head and the part of the thorax nearest the head 

 a rich chestnut brown. Several dark brown lines cross the 

 fore wings transversely. The hind wings are pale buff. The 

 female moth deposits about loo eggs in a cluster on a leaf. 



The caterpillars which hatch from these eggs, attain their 

 full growth in five or six weeks. They are then about two 

 inches long. The head is black and the segment just back of 

 the head is orange colored, a character which gives rise to the 

 popular name "yellow-neck." The body is striped longitu- 

 dinally with alternate yellow and black lines. Soft white hairs 

 occur over the whole body but are too thin to be especially 

 noticeable. Like the red-humped caterpillar, .these caterpillars 

 are clustered together both while feeding and when at rest. 

 The caterpillars when at rest assume a characteristic and pecu- 

 liar position on the branch with both extremities of the body 

 raised. When alarmed they jerk their heads and tails in an 

 irritated manner. 



The full grown caterpillars bury themselves in the earth a 

 few inches below the surface, where they transform into brown 

 pupae, unprotected by any cocoon. They remain in the earth 

 all winter and emerge about the middle of the next summer, 

 when they are transformed to the moth, or mature insect. 

 Moth, larva, and pupa are figured in the accompanying illus- 

 trations. Figs. 32, 33, and 34. 



Remedies. As in the case of the red-humped caterpillar, 

 gathering the caterpillars by hand is the simplest remedy and 

 perhaps the only one which it is necessary to recommend. 

 The caterpillars are gregarious and the whole brood is easily 

 removed from the tree and destroyed. Arsenical sprays will 

 kill them, and may sometimes be a convenient means of com- 

 bating them. 



