BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY AND PLANT QUARANTINE 
29 
ticularly severe during the last few years conditions had improved, 
and the supply of unemployed men competent or physically able to 
perform good service was drastically reduced. There were many 
reasons for this, but an increase in industrial employment was one 
of the principal causes. 
The weather was mild during the fall of 1939, but with the coming 
of the new year temperatures dropped drastically, and during the first 
few months heavy snow covered most of the area, particularly in the 
northern part. While the temperature dropped as low 7 as —25° F. 
or lower in the northern part of the area and continued at low levels 
for rather prolonged periods, the eggs deposited the previous summer 
were not seriously injured. In the northern part of the territory 
hatching ranged from 50 to over 80 percent in Vermont, in Berk- 
shire County, Mass., it averaged 90 percent, and in Connecticut, 96 
percent. It was abnormally cool throughout April and May, and 
hatching in most areas was at least 2 weeks later than normal. 
Cool and inclement weather, accompanied in many sections by frost, 
caused heavy mortality among the small larvae. These conditions 
persisted for many days in June, so that in general the defoliation was 
not so heavy as it would have been in a normal spring. Owing to 
unusual rainfall an ample supply of water in small streams was avail- 
able for spraying. 
USE OF ATTRACTING CAGES IN LOCATING GYPSY MOTH INFESTATIONS 
With the cooperation of the State officials concerned, attracting 
cages were placed in selected towns in the barrier zone in Ver- 
mont, in Xew York immediately west of the Hudson River, in 
northeastern New Jersey, and in Pennsylvania adjoining the outside 
border of the area that had been infested previously. A number of 
these cages attracted male moths, and during the fall and winter of 
1939-40 the territory surrounding most of these attracting cages was 
scouted. Scouting at some was limited because the roads or trails 
were impassable during the winter and workers within reasonable 
distance were unavailable. 
In Vermont 562 cages were put out in 11 towns, and 45 of these in 9 
of the towns attracted (38 male moths. Scouting around the attracting 
cages located 32 infestations totaling 419 egg clusters in 4 of the 
towns where 32 cages had attracted 52 male moths. No infestations 
were found in the other 5 towns. 
In Xew York 3,989 cages were put out in 35 towns, and 8 of 
these in 4 towns attracted 23 male moths. Scouting around the 
attracting cages located 2 infestations, 1 at Esopus of over 4,500 
egg clusters and the other at the old Shawangunk infestation, where 
305 egg clusters were found. . At single attracting cages in 2 other 
towns no infestations were found. 
In Xew Jersey 499 cages were put out in 6 townships and 2 
small areas. Only 1 cage attracted a male moth. Scouting around 
the cage site did not result in the finding of any infestation. 
In Pennsylvania 3.072 cages were put out in 21 townships, and 
of these 94 in 11 townships attracted 182 male moths. Scouting 
located infestations around all hut a few of the attracting cages 
and resulted in the discovery of C>4 infestations totaling 3.7*4 egg 
clusters, all of which were destroyed. 
