APPLE PESTS 
inch in width. The larvae when first 
hatched are black with reddish-brown 
hairs dorsally placed; on the fourth and 
fifth segments one may find a single large 
tuft of brown hairs, and on the middle 
Brown Tail Moth and Larva. 
Fig. 1. 
line of the ninth and tenth segments is 
a reddish tubercle which may be with- 
drawn into the body. 
When full grown the larvae measure 
about two inches in length, are reddish- 
brown in color with two red spots on the 
back near the rear end, and with a lon- 
gitudinal row of white markings on each 
side of the abdomen.* The body is also 
covered with numerous tubercles bearing 
long barbed hairs. The tubercles along 
the back and sides of the abdomen are 
thickly covered with short brown hairs 
in addition to the longer ones. These 
short hairs are the ones known as the 
“nettling hairs.”’ 
About the middle of June the larvae 
spin silken cocoons among the leaves and 
then pupate. Here they remain for about 
20 days, and begin to appear as moths 
about the middle of July. Both the males 
and the females are pure white, with the 
exception of the abdomen, which is brown 
at the tip; on account of these brown 
tips the moth is known as the brown tail 
moth. The females have a wing expan- 
sion of about one and one-half inches, 
the males one and one-third inches. 
As soon as they have copulated the 
females begin depositing the eggs on the 
under side of the leaves. These hatch in 
about three weeks and the young larvae 
511 
immediately begin feeding on the leaf 
bearing the egg mass. After a short time 
they wander to other leaves and feed, 
returning to the old leaf at night. To- 
ward fall they begin forming the winter 
web in which they leave exit holes so 
that they may go out and feed during 
good weather. 
The Principal Means of Distribution 
The principal means of distribution to 
any distance is made by the importation 
of nests on nursery stock. Having once 
established themselves’ they have but 
little difficulty in getting from orchard 
to orchard, as both males and females 
are strong fliers. It is said that they 
have a habit of soaring above the tree 
tops and buildings and so are carried 
long distances by the wind. They are 
also attracted to lights and so are dis- 
tributed by trains and electric cars into 
which they fly when opportunity offers. 
Food Plants 
Pear and apple are the favorite food 
plants of this insect, but nearly all fruit 
and shade trees, excepting the conifers, 
are attacked. 
Nig. 2. 
Pupa Cases of Brown Tail Moth. 
Methods of Control 
Collecting and destroying the winter 
nests seems to be the best method and 
supplemented with spraying for the newly 
