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  brown-tail 
  moths 
  were 
  begun 
  in 
  1905. 
  The 
  results 
  have 
  been 
  so 
  

   encouraging 
  that, 
  after 
  eight 
  years' 
  experience 
  of 
  mechanical 
  control, 
  

   it 
  w^as 
  considered 
  advisable 
  to 
  attempt 
  the 
  colonisation 
  of 
  parasites 
  

   to 
  supplement 
  the 
  hand-work 
  in 
  Maine, 
  and 
  last 
  March 
  a 
  laboratory 
  

   for 
  breeding 
  parasites 
  and 
  observing 
  their 
  work 
  was 
  established 
  in 
  

   Portland. 
  The 
  work 
  of 
  breeding 
  and 
  liberating 
  thus 
  far 
  has 
  been 
  with 
  

   Apanteles 
  lacteicolor 
  and 
  Meteorus 
  versicolor, 
  as 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  brown- 
  tail 
  

   moth, 
  Compsilura 
  concinnata, 
  parasitic 
  on 
  both 
  the 
  gipsy 
  and 
  brown- 
  

   tail 
  moths, 
  and 
  the 
  Calosoma 
  sycojphanta 
  beetle, 
  also 
  predatory 
  on 
  both 
  

   insects. 
  

  

  A. 
  lacteicolor 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  hymenopterous 
  fly, 
  native 
  to 
  most 
  

   European 
  countries 
  that 
  are 
  infested 
  with 
  the 
  brown- 
  tail 
  moths. 
  

   These 
  Braconids 
  deposit 
  their 
  eggs 
  under 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  newly-hatched 
  

   caterpillars. 
  In 
  Maine, 
  brown-tail 
  webs, 
  collected 
  in 
  localities 
  known 
  

   to 
  be 
  infested 
  with 
  Apanteles 
  and 
  Meteorus, 
  were 
  brought 
  to 
  the 
  Maine 
  

   laboratory, 
  and 
  placed 
  in 
  feeding 
  trays. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  a 
  sufficient 
  number 
  

   of 
  cocoons 
  of 
  the 
  parasites 
  were 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  infested 
  caterpillars, 
  

   they 
  were 
  carried 
  into 
  the 
  field 
  for 
  colonisation 
  as 
  quickly 
  as 
  possible 
  

   before 
  the 
  adult 
  had 
  emerged. 
  The 
  cocoons 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  water- 
  

   proof 
  box, 
  nailed 
  to 
  the 
  tree, 
  both 
  tree 
  and 
  box 
  being 
  smeared 
  with 
  

   tanglefoot 
  to 
  prevent 
  destruction 
  of 
  the 
  cocoons 
  by 
  ants, 
  and 
  here 
  left 
  

   to 
  emerge. 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  about 
  15,000 
  cocoons 
  have 
  been 
  distributed. 
  

   A 
  sufficient 
  number 
  of 
  Meteorus 
  versicolor 
  cocoons 
  were 
  also 
  obtained 
  

   to 
  establish 
  two 
  colonies 
  of 
  this 
  parasite, 
  the 
  life-history 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  

   similar 
  in 
  some 
  respects 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  Apanteles. 
  

  

  Work 
  was 
  then 
  continued 
  on 
  Compsilura 
  concinnata, 
  a 
  Tachinid 
  fly, 
  

   which 
  deposits 
  beneath 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  the 
  host 
  caterpillar, 
  the 
  very 
  

   small 
  maggots 
  which 
  have 
  hatched 
  within 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  female 
  ; 
  

   these 
  maggots 
  establish 
  themselves 
  within 
  the 
  alimentary 
  canal 
  of 
  their 
  

   host 
  and 
  in 
  two 
  weeks 
  have 
  attained 
  complete 
  larval 
  development, 
  when 
  

   they 
  issue 
  from 
  the 
  caterpillar, 
  leaving 
  it 
  dead. 
  Within 
  a 
  few 
  hours 
  

   they 
  enter 
  the 
  pupal 
  stage, 
  and 
  after 
  a 
  week 
  the 
  flies 
  emerge, 
  the 
  

   females 
  attaining 
  full 
  sex 
  maturity 
  in 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  days. 
  Several 
  

   colonies 
  of 
  this 
  parasite 
  have 
  been 
  Liberated, 
  and 
  it 
  should 
  prove 
  of 
  

   great 
  economic 
  importance, 
  as 
  it 
  will 
  attack 
  both 
  the 
  gipsy 
  and 
  brown- 
  

   tail 
  moths 
  with 
  avidity, 
  and 
  at 
  least 
  sixteen 
  other 
  insects 
  native 
  to 
  

   Maine 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  its 
  hosts, 
  including 
  the 
  cabbage 
  butterfly 
  

   and 
  the 
  tussock 
  moth. 
  

  

  The 
  beetle, 
  Calosoma 
  sycopJianta, 
  preys 
  voraciously 
  on 
  the 
  cater- 
  

   pillars 
  both 
  in 
  its 
  larval 
  and 
  adult 
  stages. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  deposited 
  

   in 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  hatch 
  in 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  eight 
  days, 
  the 
  larval 
  life 
  lasting 
  

   about 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  weeks. 
  The 
  average 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid 
  during 
  

   one 
  season 
  by 
  one 
  female 
  beetle 
  is 
  about 
  one 
  hundred. 
  C. 
  sycophanta 
  

   can 
  apparently 
  feed 
  on 
  caterpillars 
  affected 
  with 
  the 
  " 
  wilt 
  disease 
  " 
  

   without 
  any 
  ill 
  results. 
  

  

  Two 
  egg-parasites 
  will 
  also 
  be 
  imported, 
  Anastatus 
  bifasciatus 
  and 
  

   Schedius 
  kuvanae. 
  During 
  the 
  time 
  that 
  is 
  needed 
  for 
  the 
  parasitic 
  

   and 
  predatory 
  enemies 
  to 
  control 
  the 
  rapidly 
  increasing 
  infestations 
  

   and 
  assist 
  in 
  restoring 
  " 
  the 
  balance 
  of 
  nature 
  " 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  

   disturbed, 
  hand-work 
  must 
  be 
  continued 
  and 
  a 
  very 
  active 
  warfare 
  

   waged 
  against 
  the 
  gipsy 
  and 
  brown- 
  tail 
  moths. 
  

  

  