MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 39 



direct search for the destruction of winter nests, by eliminating 

 likely breeding places. 



Cutting and burning the winter nests. — This has been the 

 most important of the direct remedies because it is cheap and, 

 if thoroughly done, a sufficient protection against the ravages 

 of this pest. The webs and leaves that compose the nest are 

 woven tightly to the tips of the branches and hang there like 

 dead leaves all winter. With so many months for inspection 

 there is no excuse for harboring the hibernating caterpillars on 

 shade or orchard trees. 



PROTECTING THE PARASITES. 



The United States government has at a great expense and a 

 tremendous amount of painstaking labor imported, bred a.U 

 liberated many parasitic enemies of the brown-tail and gypsy 

 moths, six or more species of which hibernate during the win- 

 ter in the winter nests of the brown-tail moth. 



Any one in Maine collecting the winter nests of this pest 

 can have a share in the work of preserving and distribution of 

 the beneficial parasites at the expense of very little trouble if he 

 so desires. 



The method of destroying the brown-tail nests in midwinter 

 while effective in killing the caterpillar, also destroys parasites 

 if present. A modification of this method could well be made by 

 which the parasite is allowed to escape before the destruction 

 of the nests. As heretofore the nests should be removed from 

 the orchard or shade trees during the winter but should be held 

 and kept under outdoor conditions until the first warm days of 

 spring when both parasites and caterpillars become active. The 

 nests as soon as cut from the tree may be placed in a barrel 

 or other receptacle, the outside of which, at some distance from 

 the top edge, should be smeared with tree tanglefoot, or some 

 similar sticky preparation so that the emerging caterpillars can 

 be caught in their attempt to escape. It might be well to tie a 

 wad of cloth around the outside of the barrel in a band and 

 keep this sticky with tree tanglefoot. 



This method of dealing with the nests while destroying the 

 caterpillars gives at the same time a chance for the parasites to 

 fly away and continue their natural depredations on the brown- 

 tail moths. The parasite, a small shiny, dark, four winged fly 



