The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
1311 
Questions About Insects 
Conducted by Prof. Glenn W. Herrick 
Stinging Caterpillar 
I should be very pleased to know the 
name of that creature which, taking on 
the appearance of an abbreviated cater¬ 
pillar, evidently is not one. Unfortunately 
for my feelings. I knocked two of them off 
in my neck while trucking out a load of 
apples from (lie orchard, and one of the 
men had the misfortune to come in con¬ 
tact with one while picking. This creature 
is green, and has legs all around him. 
His shape is about like that of a turtle. 
"What are probably his eyes poke up in 
front. I think that. I have seou some¬ 
thing similar to these on a dowering 
quince hush once, but they were small in 
comparison to these. Where they came in 
contact with one’s Skin there is consider¬ 
able swelling and pain. A green cater¬ 
pillar with a red stripe on his sides and 
Stinging Caterpillar of the To Moth 
crown-like tufts on his back caused a bad 
swelling for two or three days on one of 
our women helpers. What could he be? 
Warwick, X. Y. ir. r. n. 
There are in the United States north 
of Mexico several thousand different kinds 
of caterpillars known to entomologists, 
but out of these thousands only 18 or 20 
are known to possess stiuging or nettling 
hairs on the body. The most notorious 
and most virulent stinging caterpillar is 
the Brown-tail moth caterpillar, which 
was introduced from Europe about ISO?., 
but does not yet occur outside of New 
England States and Long Island in this 
country. Probably the most common 
stinging caterpillar, and the one most 
often met with in this country, is the 
caterpillar of the Io moth. This is the one 
of which II. T. D. speaks as being “green 
with a red stripe on his sides anil crown¬ 
like tufts on his hack.” The Io cater¬ 
pillar (see cut) is about 2 in. long, 
bright green in color and bears a red 
stripe along each side with a parallel 
white stripe just below it. In addition, 
the body is covered with tufts of branch¬ 
ing stiff green spines, tipped with black. 
These spines coutaiu within them a pois¬ 
onous material which, when it comes in 
contact with the blood in the skin of a 
human being, sets up an irritation or 
affection of tbe skin known as dermatitis. 
When an Io caterpillar falls ou the neck 
or back of the hand, for example, the 
tips of the sharp spines penetrate the 
skiu. and the poison within the spines 
enters directly into the blood. A severe 
burning, itching sensation usually eusues 
at once, which is- sometimes followed by 
marked swelling of the whole arm. accom¬ 
panied in some cases by severe pain, de¬ 
pending upon the susceptibility of the 
person affected. 
There are also several species of cater¬ 
pillar with more or less elliptical bodies, 
flat on the bottom and rounded ou thp 
back, each of which reminds one from its 
shape and especially from the manner in 
which it glides along over the surface of 
a leaf, of a common slug. These cater¬ 
pillars also hear stinging hairs, and two 
of them, at least, are strongly nettling 
and may cause severe dermatitis. From 
the description giveu by IT. T. P., I judge 
that one of these slug caterpillars fell on 
his nock, but apparently the fall did not 
bring joy to II. T. D. I hazard the guess 
from the description that this particular 
caterpillar bears the scientific name of 
Sittjiroacn tu'tula. If I am right, in this 
guess, then it was not one of the two 
worst nettling species of the slug cater¬ 
pillar. for which II. T. P. may be thank¬ 
ful* GLENN W. HERRICK. 
Honey-bees in Dead Privet Bush 
Some time last Summer what looked 
like the honey-bee made a nest in an old 
or dead privet bush. They have made 
that gray nest that is sometimes seen 
hanging ou branches. Would the honey¬ 
bee build a nest like that? .Would you 
take them up into a regular hive? 
Rockville Center, N. Y. ,j. M. 
The nest that J. M. found in the 
privet bush was certainly not made by 
honey-bees. The honey-bee does not 
manufacture paper with which to build 
a home for the colony. It has to find a 
hollow in a tree, box, hive or similar 
cavity in which to establish its colony. 
The nest J. M. found was tindoubtedly 
that of the common hornet. Hornets and 
other social wasps can manufacture a 
gray paper from the bits of papery-like 
material they find on old fence boards, 
rails and stumps. Out of this material 
they make very substantial homes, some¬ 
times of considerable size. 
GLENN W. HERRICK. 
In Defense of the Honey Bee 
I have lately seen articles in various 
periodicals and newspapers in regard to 
people being stung by bees. I take ex¬ 
ceptions to many of these stories, for the 
reason that the majority of people do not 
know the difference between a honey bee. 
a hornet, a wasp or kindred insects. For 
example, a neighbor had screened his 
porch and called me in one afternoon, 
when passing, saying: “We have several 
of your bees in here; come in and catch 
them for me.” 
I went in and found one bald-faced 
hornet, two big yellow-jackets, several 
small hornets, a horse fly—the big kind— 
and a number of blue-bottle flies, also a 
few wasps, but not a honey bee in the 
whole collection. I would much rather 
be stung by a honey bee than a hornet, 
ns it is not as severe for me. Anyone who 
knows the difference will caution you 
nbout interfering with hornets’ nests. 
I hope that beekeepers will give this 
subject some consideration and uphold 
our useful friend, the honey bet*. I make 
it.a point in conversation ou this subject 
to emphasize as well as show how many 
people err in this matter. The honey bee 
is not to be classed with those ill-tempered 
pirates, the yellow-jacket- and his various 
relations. C. H. tabeb. 
Massachusetts. 
Controlling Flies 
I liked Mrs. H. J.’s letter on getting 
rid of houseflies, page 1039. It shows 
that she is after them hard. Now let me 
tell you about the most absolutely flyless 
farmhouse I was ever in. That was out 
in Northern Idaho, at a neighbor’s where 
we were harvesting, There was a large 
house and there were plenty of children 
running in and out, as one can imagine. 
Also there was plenty of live stock close 
around, yet not a fly did we see in that 
house: not a fly swatter, either. The 
farmer’s wife explained it. On the 
porches special places had been built, 
high out of reach of the children, ami on 
these were containers with fly poison in 
them. That did the trick. What few 
flies did escape with their lives and got 
into the house were easily disposed of. 
Will not others try this and then report 
on what success they have? n.A. u. 
New York. 
Habits of Daddy Longlegs 
I have been much interested in the 
article about daddy longlegs. For two 
years our house was unplastered, and last 
Fall the daddies were very plentiful, evi¬ 
dently finding the inside of the house 
much to their liking. 
< )ne evening my husband and I were 
having a late supper, and sat talking at 
the table. There was bread left on the 
plate and some sweet sauce left in the 
disb. Two daddies came down from the 
wall and visited the table. They both 
stopped at the bread plate and ate bread, 
letting their bodies down until they rested 
on the bread. Then they visited the same 
and helped themselves to that. 
We watched them enjoy their strange 
supper, and after they had visited every¬ 
thing else on the table, they went off. 
Even when so plentiful, they never both¬ 
ered by getting into things, always stay¬ 
ing on the walls or around the windows. 
I’ve always liked daddies, and never 
have killed them. Often when I’ve caught 
them to put them out they would leave 
me the leg I had hold of, and make off 
as fast as ever. I’m glad to know more 
about them, and that thev are worthy of 
a place of their own. MBS. E. E. c. 
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