MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 43 



Fig. 17. Caterpillar of hickory tiger moth. (From Me. Agr. Ex. 

 Sta. Circular). 



They feed until they are nearly one and one-half inches in 

 length and then they leave the trees and seek suitable shelter 

 for their cocoons, the sides of buildings often being selected. 

 The cocoons are oval, snug little objects less than an inch long 

 and are composed almost entirely of the hairs which have 

 covered the caterpillars, closely felted together. Within the 

 cocoon the insect remains all winter — as short, thick, rather 

 blunt brown pupae. 



The winged moths emerge from the cocoons in June and 

 deposit their egg clusters upon some suitable food plant. The 

 hickory tiger moth is pale buff. The fore wings are thickly 

 sprinkled with little brown dots and set with irregular yellow- 

 ish white spots. The hind wings are unmarked. The spotted 

 tiger moth resembles the related species closely, but the spots 

 are variable in size and number. 



REMEDIAL MEASURES. 



Arsenical sprays will poison these caterpillars. However, 

 where trees are carefully watched, the colonies of the tiger 

 caterpillars could be easily removed by hand while they are 

 young and congregated together. Sometimes, too, it is pos- 

 sible to get rid of them by jarring them off on to a sheet. 

 Where they form cocoons along the edges of clapboards and 

 in other crannies about buildings, much can be done by sweep- 

 ing down the cocoons and destroying them. 



