1881. ] Entomology. 747 
THe CarerPILLaR NUISANCE IN Cities: How To SUPPRESS IT.— 
In the public interest you have already drawn attention to the 
numerous caterpillar nests that are now disfiguring the shade 
trees in most parts of the city. These trees are a marked and 
beautiful feature of Washington, and our Park Commissioners 
cannot be too greatly praised for their endeavors to properly care 
for them and protect them from injury. In this good work they 
should be aided by all public spirited citizens. I have thought, 
therefore, that a few suggestions in reference to this caterpillar 
nuisance would be timely and might do some good. 
is Web-worm, known in entomological works as the fall: 
web-worm / flyphantria textor), is one of the most wide-spread 
and injurious insects in the country, feeding, as it does, on all 
Sorts of trees, and occurring everywhere east of the Rocky 
mountains. The parent isa white moth, more or less spotted 
with black, which issues in spring from the cocoon in which the 
chrysalis has hibernated, generally near, or just below, the surface 
of the ground, but also in any other sheltered situation. The 
pale yellow eggs are laid, to the number of 300 and upward, 
during the last days of May and the earlier part of June, in this 
latitude, in one uniform batch, slighly interspersed with white 
hairs from the body of the female. They are not easily noticed, 
and it is useless to attempt their destruction in a general way. 
Immediately upon hatching, the young worms feed together ua 
the parenchyma of the leaf, leaving nothing but the epidermis. 
S they grow they spread 
from leaf to leaf, enclosing 
Whole branches with their 
Selves conspicuous, and are 
nearly full-grown as at the 
Present time. At this stage 
€re is no more available 
way of destroying them than 
by pruning off the infested Hyphantria te 
twigs and branches, care “ moth (after Riley) 
being taken to subsequently destroy the worms. A wad of cotton, 
or other material, attached to the end of a long pole, saturated 
with kerosene or coal tar and ignited will also do good service in 
burning them. But on all the smaller trees of the city tlfat can 
be readily reached with a hand pump, there is a much simpler 
remedy which might be uniformly employed by the Commis- 
Sioners at trivial expense. With a little practice the first affected 
leaf or leaves can be-detected during the first days of June before 
the trees shows any disfigurement. If at such time the parts of 
the tree where the young caterpillars have been noticed be 
