maine agricultural experiment station. 41 



Gypsy Moth. 

 (Porthetria dispar.) 



Unlike the brown-tail moth, the gypsy moth winters in the 

 egg stage. Although winged, the female gypsy moth does not 

 fly, but deposits the eggs in any convenient place to which it 

 can crawl. The egg masses are most commonly attached to 

 the bark of trees but they are also found in such places as under 

 edges of stones, beneath fence rails, on buildings, and in old 

 cans and rubbish. The eggs are laid in July and August in a 

 mass of 400 to 500. They are covered with tan colored hairs 

 from the body of the female moth, and form an irregular oval 

 mass. As the eggs do not hatch until about May 1, eight 

 months at least are available for their destruction. 



The young larvae or young caterpillars are dark in color and 

 well furnished with dark hairs. The full-grown larva is 

 between 2 and 3 inches long, dark brown or sooty in color, with 

 two rows of red spots and two rows of blue spots along the 

 back, and with a yellowish but rather dim stripe between them. 

 The body generally is clothed with long hairs, and sometimes 

 reaches the length of 3 inches. 



The larva? usually become full grown about the 1st of July, 

 and then transform to pupae. The pupae are found in the same 

 situations as those we described for the egg clusters, but are 

 found also in the foliage of trees and shrubs. 



The male moth is brownish yellow in color, sometimes having 

 a greenish brown tinge ; it has a slender body, well- feathered 

 antennae, and a wing expanse of about an inch and a half. The 

 forewings are marked with wavy zigzag darker lines. It flies 

 actively all day as well as by night. 



The female moth is nearly white, with slender black antennae, 

 each of the forewings marked with three or four zigzag, trans- 

 verse, dark lines, and .the outer border of both pairs of wings 

 with a series of black dots. The body of the female is so heavy 

 as to prevent flight. 



REMEDIAL MEASURES. 



Killing the Eggs. — No single method of destruction against 

 the gypsy moth is more, effective than killing the eggs. The 

 egg masses, wherever accessible, can be destroyed from August 



