14 



spring the brown-tail moth caterpillar does not ' ' hatch ", hut simply 

 awakens to animation, crawls out of the nest and hegins to feed. 



e. The gypsy moth does not, in any of its forms, produce note- 

 worthy irritation of the human skin. 



The brown-tail moth caterpillars and cocoons, by reason of their 

 hairs, cause a most annoying and painful irritation. The female 

 brown-tail motlis, in their struggles to emerge from the cocoons, 

 often acquire a certain number of caterpillar hairs, and hence are 

 sometimes, though rarely, the cause of the irritation aboTC men- 

 tioned. 



Eemedies against the Moths. 



The Gypsy Moth. 

 Egg hilling. — No single method of destruction against the gypsy 

 moth is more efEective than killing the eggs. The egg masses 

 wherever accessible can be killed from August to May by soaking 

 them thoroughly with creosote mixture. The creosote may be 

 applied with a small swab or paint brush. In killing gypsy moth 

 eggs in high trees, it is usually best to work with two men ; one 

 man to point out the egg clusters from the ground, another to kill 

 the eggs in the trees. Creosote mixture may be purchased at 

 agricultural warehouses and seed stores at from fifty cents to one 

 dollar per gallon, depending on quantity. 



Where trees and shrubbery (especially low-cost woodland and 

 unimproved tracts of brush) are extensively infested with the eggs 

 of the gypsy moth, the growth should be cut and burned. The 

 eggs are, however, remarkably resistant to fire, and an intense heat 

 applied directly to the clusters is required to kill them all. "Where 

 the clusters are very plentiful, burning the ground over with oil 

 to destroy eggs scattered as a result of the cutting of trees and 

 bushes will be required to insure thorough work. 



Caterpillar Destruction. — Spraying infested foliage with arsenate 

 of lead at the rate of ten pounds to one hundred gallons of water 

 is very effective when the caterpillars are small. Any of the com- 

 mon hand outfits will suffice for the spraying of shrubs or fiowering 

 plants. For use on trees, a pump mounted on a barrel or hogshead 

 is desirable. The poison should be thoroughly mixed in water, 

 and applied, if possible, on a clear, dry day, in such a manner as 

 to cover the leaves, rather slowly, with a fine mist. The foliage 

 should never be drenched with a stream. When the leaves begin 

 to drip, spraying should at once cease. Spraying should begin 

 at the top of the trees. This work is most effective when done 

 during May and early June. Where tall street trees or trees in 



