32 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



part of June or early in July, sometimes being carried long distances 

 by the wind. The eggs are laid usually on the under side of the 

 leaves and the young caterpillars commence feeding in early August 

 and cease eating preparatory to hibernation the latter part of Sep- 

 tember or in October. 



ARMY WORM 

 Heliophila unipuncta Haw. 



The army worm outbreak of last season approached in severity 

 the extended devastations of 1896, though the area of severe damage 

 was much more limited. The pests appeared to be most abundant 

 upon Long Island, especially the eastern end, and also in a group of 

 counties in the western part of the State, notably Cattaraugus, 

 Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Niagara and possibly 

 Cayuga. 



Earlier outbreaks. In view of the localized injury noted above, 

 it is interesting to refer to the earlier history of this pest. It is stated 

 that in 181 7 many meadows and pastures in the northern towns of 

 Rensselaer county and in the eastern portions of Saratoga county 

 were rendered " as barren as heath." Some injury from this species 

 was reported in the western part of the State in 1842, and in 186 1 

 there was a serious outbreak in the vicinity of Buffalo, near the head 

 of Seneca lake and at several other points in the southern and western 

 counties. It was reported in 187 1 from Tioga county, and four years 

 .later was quite abundant on Long Island the latter part of July and 

 the middle of August. It again became destructive on Long Island 

 in 1880, the caterpillars being numerous in June. This outbreak 

 also occurred in some of the southern and eastern counties of the 

 State. 



The pest was so generally prevalent throughout the State in 1896, 

 that the obvious concentration of severe damage to Long Island and 

 a portion of the western part of the State was not so evident as in 

 the case of the earlier outbreaks. 



Actual losses in 1914. The presence of the army worm was re- 

 ported to this office from about twenty counties, and at the time the 

 insect appeared there was a noticeable tendency on the part of both 

 individuals and the public press unduly to magnify the amount of 

 injury, and on this account the Entomologist went to some pains to 

 secure conservative estimates of the actual damage, some of which 

 are reproduced below. 



Allegany county. Mr F. C. Smith, manager of the county farm 

 bureau, states that the army worm was very prevalent and esti- 

 mates the damage in the county at $1000. The insects were not 

 sufficiently abundant so that there was any extended marching. 



