17 



and removed by the use of pole shears or long-handled pruners, 

 and then carefully collected and burned. It is more satisfactory, 

 where possible, to burn the webs in a furnace or stove, since, where 

 an open bonfire is used, extra care must be taken to see that none 

 of the webs escape with a mere scorching. When a light snow is 

 on the ground, the work of web destruction and gathering can be 

 carried on to best advantage, although it is desirable that the work 

 should be done as early as possible in the season after the leaves 

 fall. Where tall trees are infested, two men, one to point out the 

 nests from the ground, the other in the tree to cut off the nests, 

 can work more rapidly and economically than one man. It should 

 be borne in mind that webs cut off and thrown on a dump heap as 

 well as those that are beaten ofE by storms will yield their quota of 

 caterpillars the following spring. 



Of all means of combating the brown-tail moth, web destruction 

 as above outlined is the remedy par excellence. 



Spraying is very efEective against brown- 

 tail moth caterpillars, since they are much 

 less resistant to the action of poison than 

 are those of the gypsy moth. To secure best 

 results, spraying should be done as soon as 

 the foliage develops in the spring. Five to 

 eight pounds of the arsenate of lead paste to 

 one hundred gallons of water is sufficient for 

 the spray, or, if preferred, one pound of good 

 Paris green kept well stirred in one hundred 

 and fifty gallons of water may be applied. 

 The directions given for spraying gypsy moth 

 caterpillars should be followed in the case 

 of those of the brown-tail moth. Spraying 



may be done not only in the spring, but also in August when the 

 caterpillars hatch from the egg, except in cases of trees in fruit. 



Spraying or sprinkling with kerosene emulsion or strong soap 

 suds is often useful in destroying the swarming caterpillars on 

 fences, walks, etc. 



Such trees as are free from brown-tail moths may be protected 

 from the caterpillars which crawl from neighboring estates by 

 applying a sticky band. The banding will not prevent the infesta- 

 tion of the trees by the female winged moths, which, flying in July, 

 will alight on the foliage of such trees and deposit their egg clusters 

 thereon. It is therefore clear that sticky banding, when used 

 against brown-tail caterpillars, has a more strictly limited useful- 

 ness than in the case of the gypsy moth. 



Fig. 9. — Pruning shears 



suitable for removal of 



winter webs. 



