﻿REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  STATE 
  ENTOMOLOGIST 
  I9OO 
  961 
  

  

  A 
  number 
  of 
  predaceous 
  and 
  parasitic 
  insects 
  have 
  either 
  been 
  reared 
  

   from 
  this 
  insect 
  or 
  observed 
  preying 
  on 
  it, 
  but 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  of 
  suffi- 
  

   cient 
  importance 
  to 
  warrant 
  special 
  mention 
  in 
  this 
  connection. 
  

  

  Recommendations. 
  Investigate 
  anything 
  that 
  arouses 
  a 
  suspicion 
  

   that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  gipsy 
  moth, 
  but 
  be 
  in 
  no 
  undue 
  haste 
  to 
  identify 
  the 
  

   insect. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  much 
  more 
  satisfactory 
  to 
  submit 
  the 
  specimens 
  to 
  an 
  

   entomologist 
  than 
  to 
  arouse 
  unnecessary 
  fears. 
  There 
  have 
  already 
  been 
  

   several 
  false 
  alarms 
  occasioned 
  by 
  persons 
  with 
  more 
  enthusiasm 
  than 
  

   discretion, 
  who 
  have 
  attempted 
  to 
  identify 
  an 
  insect 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  

   were 
  unacquainted. 
  

  

  It 
  would 
  undoubtedly 
  pay 
  to 
  exterminate 
  a 
  small 
  colony, 
  but 
  in 
  

   the 
  course 
  of 
  time 
  this 
  will 
  be 
  impracticable. 
  We 
  must 
  learn 
  to 
  con- 
  

   trol 
  it 
  on 
  our 
  own 
  land. 
  The 
  inability 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  to 
  fly 
  and 
  the 
  

   conspicuousness 
  of 
  the 
  egg 
  masses 
  make 
  this 
  task 
  relatively 
  easy, 
  unless 
  

   the 
  pest 
  is 
  allowed 
  to 
  escape 
  to 
  the 
  woods. 
  There 
  a 
  private 
  individual 
  

   could 
  'hardly 
  cope 
  with 
  the 
  insect. 
  The 
  point 
  of 
  establishment 
  in 
  this 
  

   state 
  is 
  almost 
  bound 
  to 
  be 
  near 
  some 
  dwelling, 
  and 
  therefore 
  the 
  species 
  

   need 
  not 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  establish 
  itself 
  in 
  wild 
  land, 
  at 
  least 
  for 
  some 
  

   years. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  effective 
  methods 
  of 
  keeping 
  this 
  pest 
  under 
  pontrol 
  

   is 
  the 
  careful 
  collection 
  and 
  burning 
  of 
  the 
  conspicuous 
  egg 
  masses. 
  

   This 
  can 
  be 
  done 
  most 
  effectually 
  in 
  the 
  fall, 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  and 
  in 
  

   early 
  spring. 
  No 
  ordinary 
  fire 
  running 
  over 
  the 
  ground 
  can 
  be 
  relied 
  on 
  

   to 
  kill 
  the 
  eggs. 
  The 
  only 
  safe 
  way 
  is 
  to 
  put 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  stove 
  or 
  similar 
  

   fire 
  and 
  burn 
  them 
  up. 
  Creosote 
  oil 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  egg 
  mass 
  will 
  soak 
  

   in 
  and 
  kill 
  the 
  eggs. 
  The 
  following 
  preparation 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  

   against 
  the 
  gipsy 
  moth 
  : 
  creosote 
  oil, 
  $ 
  %'} 
  carbolic 
  acid, 
  20 
  %; 
  spirits 
  

   of 
  turpentine, 
  20 
  % 
  and 
  to 
  % 
  of 
  coal 
  tar. 
  The 
  latter 
  was 
  added 
  to 
  

   color 
  the 
  compound 
  and 
  thus 
  show 
  at 
  a 
  glance 
  what 
  clusters 
  had 
  been 
  

   treated. 
  

  

  The 
  caterpillars 
  prefer 
  to 
  hide 
  during 
  the 
  daytime, 
  and 
  advantage 
  may 
  

   be 
  taken 
  of 
  this 
  habit 
  to 
  tie 
  burlap 
  bands 
  in 
  the 
  middle 
  around 
  the 
  tree 
  

   trunks 
  and 
  then 
  turn 
  the 
  upper 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  burlap 
  down 
  over 
  the 
  

   string. 
  The 
  bands 
  can 
  be 
  lifted 
  daily 
  and 
  the 
  caterpillars 
  beneath 
  killed. 
  

   This 
  method 
  proved 
  of 
  such 
  great 
  value 
  in 
  the 
  work 
  against 
  the 
  gipsy 
  

   moth 
  that 
  thousands 
  of 
  trees 
  were 
  banded 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   caterpillar 
  season. 
  

  

  The 
  insect 
  is 
  quite 
  resistant 
  to 
  arsenical 
  poisons, 
  and 
  it 
  requires 
  a 
  large 
  

   dose 
  to 
  kill 
  it, 
  specially 
  when 
  the 
  caterpillar 
  is 
  nearly 
  grown. 
  There 
  is 
  

   probably 
  no 
  better 
  poison 
  for 
  this 
  pest 
  than 
  arsenate 
  of 
  lead, 
  using 
  at 
  

  

  