HAXDBOOK OX IXSFCT ENEMIES OF FLOWERS AXD SHRUBS 



Eastern tent caterpillar 



The appearance of hawthorn is at 

 times marred by the conspicuous, un- 

 sightly •"tents." or nests fig. 75), of the 

 eastern tent caterpillar I Malacosoma 

 americana (F.)). These tents are con- 

 structed in early spring in the forks or 

 crotches. When abundant, the larvae, 

 or caterpillars, often strip the leaves, 

 thus weakening the trees. Wild cherry 

 and apple are their choice food, although 

 they also feed occasionally on barberry, 

 witchhazel. rose, and other shrubs and 

 trees. The caterpillars are a nuisance 

 late in the spring, when they crawl 

 around in search of more food or a place 

 to spin their cocoons. In early summer 

 the reddish-brown moths emerge and 

 lay their eggs in the form of a dark- 

 brown collarlike band that encircles 

 small twigs (fig. 76). These eggs do not 

 hatch until the next spring. The full- 

 grown caterpillar is nearly 2 inches long, 

 with a black to light-brown appearance, 

 some white and blue markings, and a 

 white stripe along the middle of the 

 back. 



Treatment. — Remove the web nest 

 and destroy the caterpillars by crushing 

 them on the ground. Any caterpillars 

 left crawling around the tree or shrub 



Figure 75. — Larvae and nest of the 

 eastern tent caterpillar. Greatly 

 reduced. 



Figure 76. — Egg masses of the eastern 

 tent caterpillar on twigs. About 

 natural size. 



should be killed. This should be done 

 as soon as the nests are discovered and 

 before the caterpillars have fed much. 

 Spraying or dusting with lead arsenate 

 is another effective means of control. 



Prevention. — During the fall or 

 winter cut off and burn the twigs con- 

 taining the bands of eggs, or paint the 

 egg masses with creosote. 



Cottony maple scale 



In late spring the white, cottony egg 

 sacs of the cottony maple scale <Pnlvi- 

 naria litis (L.u become conspicuous on 

 the twigs of infested trees and shrubs. 

 At this time these small sucking insects 

 somewhat resemble the kernels of popped 

 corn i fig. 77). Although soft maple 

 is most commonly attacked, many other 

 trees and various shrubs, including 

 alder, dogwood, euonymus, hawthorn, 

 ivy. lilac, rose, and spirea. are at times 

 infested. The winter is passed a- a 

 partly grown, oval, flattened, brown 

 scale on the twigs and branches. 

 Growth is completed in the spring, and 

 the cottony esjg sac is produced under 

 the raised end of the brown scale cover- 

 ing. The insect with protruding sac i> 

 ! 4 inch or more in length. The young 

 are usually hatching in June and July, 

 and some of them may settle on the 

 leaves until fall, when they crawl back 

 to the twigs. 



