NEW MEXICO RANGE CATERPILLAR AND ITS CONTROL, 



11 



under New Mexico conditions. These were therefore liberated on 

 the range. 



After two years at this camp it became evident that perma- 

 nent quarters were necessary, so a laboratory was established at 

 Maxwell, N. Mex., where work against the range caterpillar and other 

 cereal and forage-crop insects is now being carried on. 



At the present time the native natural enemies are beginning to 

 assert themselves again, and with the help of the introduced enemies 

 it is hoped that the range caterpillar will soon be reduced to a point 

 where it will cease to 

 menace the stockmen and 

 farmers of the Southwest. 



CONTROL MEASURES. 



Mechanical measures, 

 such as burning the range, 

 rolling the ground, and 

 brush dragging have been 

 suggested as a possible 

 means of artificially con- 

 trolling the range caterpil- 

 lar. The pasturing of 

 turkeys and sheep has also 

 been proposed as a means 

 of control. 



Burning the range. — 

 Burning the range to de- 

 stroy the range caterpillar 

 has been tried out on sev- 

 eral occasions, but has not 

 proved successful on a 

 large scale because of the 

 lack of sufficient vegetation on most of the range to support a hot 

 running fire. Under certain favorable circumstances the winter 

 burning of restricted areas has proved of great benefit in destroying 

 the overwintering egg clusters. Cultivated areas usually may be 

 protected by winter burning the surrounding egg-bearing grass, weeds, 

 or other vegetation. However, such burning destroys the grass 

 crop for that year, and unless carefully conducted may result in 

 the burning of buildings or timber in the vicinity. 



Rolling the ground and brush dragging. — Rolling the ground with a 

 heavy corrugated iron roller proved expensive and killed only a small 

 percentage of the caterpillars present, on account of the tufted or 

 uneven condition of the surface. Brush-dragging the small cater- 

 pillars gave similar results. 



Fig. 12. — A predatory ground beetle, Calosoma sycophanta, 

 introduced into New Mexico from Massachusetts to help in 

 the destruction of the range caterpillar. About twice 

 natural size. (HoAvard.) 



