REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 1899 



561 



Herkimer county (G. S. Graves, Newport) — Forest tent cater- 

 pillars [Clisiocampa disstria] abundant on some small trees, 

 3 or 4 bushels have already been killed by hand. May 22. Trees are 

 being defoliated about five miles from the village, in a locality where the 

 caterpillars have been allowed to increase unmolested for the past two 

 years. I have tried to watch the birds in caterpillar infested trees and 

 have observed but two species which seemed to be feeding on them, the 

 "kingbird and the yellowbird. It seems as if some of the chippies or 

 groundbirds ate them, but I have only indirect evidence. May 31. 

 Forest tent caterpillar is not as noticeable as a week ago. Colorado 

 potato beetles [Doryphora 10-lineataJ are appearing, June 1 

 being the date they were first noticed. June 8. Forest tent caterpillars 

 very plentiful in the woods. The injury to apple trees from both species 

 of tent caterpillar, is in my opinion less than last year. Rose beetles 

 [M acrodactylus subspinosus] injuring hydrangeas and rose 

 bushes. Elms in the village affected to some extent by a beetle 

 (Disonycha triangularis]. June 20. Rose beetle doing con- 

 siderable damage to bushes. A large per cent of forest tent caterpillars 

 spinning up in the leaves on the trees, apparently relatively few com- 

 pared with the abundance of the caterpillars. There is also evidence of 

 parasitic attack on this pest, as some of the cocoons have holes in the 

 side. Lettuce badly affected by [Thrips tabaci]. June 27. 

 Forest tent caterpillars have nearly disappeared. June 29. On June 

 26 the village board of Mohawk passed a resolution to pay 10c a quart 

 for cocoons of the forest tent caterpillar collected in the village, and had 

 -by July 1 paid $45 for 450 quarts of cocoons. Moths of forest tent 

 caterpillar very plentiful about electric lights during the fore part of the 

 week. At 9.30 one evening I counted nearly 50 toads within a radius 

 of 20 feet from one electric light, but was unable to see that they ate any 

 of the moths of the forest tent caterpillar. July 10. Larvae of a beetle 

 [Disonycha triangularis] are injuring elms to some extent. 

 Find a few forest tent caterpillar cocoons on the small trees where I had 

 attempted to kill all the larvae, but so far no egg belts. July 14. 

 Potato beetles are not troublesome. Have seen little of the codling 

 moth [C a r p o c a p s a pomonella] on small apples. July 24. 

 Egg belts of forest tent caterpillar appear relatively scarce when com- 

 pared with the previous abundance of the larvae. Aug. 8. Parasites 

 appear to have done much in this vicinity toward preventing the maturing 

 of many forest tent caterpillar moths. Aug. 15. Butterflies of cabbage 

 worm [Pieris rapae] abundant about fields. Aug. 24. 



