41 



surely spreading.. The female, although winged^ is' so heavy that she 

 cannot fly ; hence its spread is very slow. The state of Massachusetts has 

 spent an immense amount of money in trying. to control this pest. The 

 insect has not reached this state, but its introduction seems only a ques- 

 tion of time, and its wide list of food plants and voracious appetite would 



make it a serious enemy of our f riiit and forest trees. 

 'I* - . . . , '■ . 



1892, Fernaid:,, Bui. 19, Mass. Agri. Exp, Sta., pp. 109-143. 

 1896, Fernaid and Forbush, Rept. Mass. Gypsy Moth Comm., p. 319. 

 1905, Kirkland, Bui. 1 of Supt. for Suppressing the Gypsy and 

 Brown-tail Moths. 



Family Arctiidae„ 



Espantheria deUorata Fabr. Larva feeds on leaves. 

 1896, Lintner, Rept. N. Y. State Ent., 12 : 189. 



Hypantria cunea Hub. The Fall Web Worm. This insect passes 

 the winter in the pupa stage, the snow white moth emerging in May 

 or June, and soon after the eggs are deposited in a cluster on a leaf. The 

 larvae are gregarious, feeding in colonies within a large, ugly web which 

 they construct over all the foliage on which they feed. These webs were 

 especially numerous in eastern Ohio during the fall of 1905, many trees 

 having from forty to fifty each. The larvje feed upon the foliage of a 

 large number of fruit and forest trees, among which is the black locust, 

 hut preference is generally shown for the wild cherry {Prunus serotina) . 

 In the above mentioned region the black walnut suffered the most, with 

 the wild cherry a close second. Cutting and burning the webs is the 

 best remedy. 



1SS6, Riley, Rept. U. S. Commr. Agri., pp. 518-539. 

 1890, Kent, Insect Life, 3:338. 



1892, Webster, Bui. 45, Ohio Agri. Exp. Sta., pp. 162-166. 



1893, Garman, Bui. 47, Ky. Agri. Exp. Sta., pp. 104-106. 

 1895, Howard, Yearbook U. S. Dept. Agri., pp. 375-384. 



Family Lasiocamphidae. 



Melacosoma disstria Hubn. (Syn. Clisiocampa) . The Forest Tent 

 Catapillar. Larvae very general feeders, eating the foliage from a large 

 number of species of deciduous trees, including the black locust. They 

 are gregarious, assembling in colonies on the trunks or large branches of 

 the trees. An arsenical poison should be effective against them. 



1881, Stretch, Papilio, 1:67. 



1890, Packard, 5th Rept. U. S. Ent. Comm., p. 373. 

 *1891, Riley and Howard, Insect Life, 2 : 58-59. 



* Food plants. 



