New York State Education Department 



New York State Museum 



John M. Clarke, Director 

 Ephraim Porter Felt, State Entomologist 



Bulletin 109 



ENTOMOLOGY 27 



WHITE MARKED TUSSOCK MOTH AND 

 ELM LEAF BEETLE 



BY 

 EPHRAIM PORTER FELT D. Sc. 



These two insects must be ranked among the most important leaf 

 feeders affecting the shade trees of cities and villages in New York 

 State. They were responsible during the season of 1906 for wide- 

 spread injury to thousands of trees, and the experience of earlier 

 years shows that we must reckon with these species if we would 

 preserve the beauty of our trees. Both of these pests, despite their 

 destructiveness, are controlled with relative ease. The tussock moth 

 can be readily suppressed in at least two ways, while the elm leaf 

 beetle succumbs quickly to timely applications of arsenical poisons. 

 Experience in the past has demonstrated beyond all question the 

 practicability of checking both of these leaf feeders by spraying, 

 an operation which is not very costly if modern apparatus be 

 employed. We are forced to conclude therefore that extensive 

 injury by either of these pests must be attributed to indifference or 

 culpable neglect rather than inability, despite the fact that many 

 appear very eager to take up the warfare at a time when the ravages 

 are most apparent and unfortunately when repressive measures can 

 be employed to very little advantage. 



There is a tendency on the part of many private individuals to 

 attribute their woes to the neglect of adjacent shade trees on public 



