Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1853-09-02

FALL EB-WoRMs.-Ths species of cat;
erpillar has been very destructive this season t
and their nests may now be seen in abundance
in the cherry apple, pear and elm trees, in our
orchards, pastures and gardens. The habits
and personal character of these insects are but
little known to the community at large, and
they are often confounded with the common
caterpillar which makes its inroads on frui
trees in the spring. We copy the following
description from DIR. liarris's Report on In
seds d,Structive 10 Jegetdtioa Speaking Of
the catcrplars that devour the leaves of trees,
he says;
"Of the latter. the most common and de-
Strucuve are the little caterpllars known by
The name of fall web worms, whose large webs
sometimes extending over entire branches,
with their leaves, may be seen on our native
elms, and also on apple and other fruit trees,
IN the latter part Ut the summer. The eggs
from which these caterplllars proceed, are laid
by the parent moth IN a cluster, upon leaf
near the extremity of branch. They are
halched from the last of June TO the middle of
August, some broodS being early and others
late, and the young calerpllars Immediately
begin to provide shelter for themselves, BY
covering the upper side Of the leaf with web,
winch Is the result of the united labors of tho
whole brood. They feed in company beneath
his web, devourlng only the upper skin and
pulpy portion of the Leaf, leaving the veins aud
lower skin of the leaf untouched. As they
Increase IN size they enlarge their web, carry>
M 1t over the next lower leaves, all the upper
ana pulpy par's Of which areeaten in the same
way, and thus they continue to work downwards,
TIL finally the web covers large por ion If
the branch, with its dry, brown and flmly foi-
igc, reduced to this unseemly condition by
these litte spoilers. These caterpilIars, when
fully grown, measure rather more slender than
those OF the other Arctans, and are very thnly
clothed with hairs of grayish color, intermn-
gled with few which are black. The general
color of the body is grcensh yellow, dotted
with black; there is u broad blacksh stripe
dong the top of the back, and a bright yellow
stripe on each side. The warts, from which
the thin bundles Of spreading silky hairs pro-
coed, are black on the back, and ust-yellow
ur orange on the Sides The head and feet are
bhck. have not observed the exact length
OF time required by these insects to come TO
maturity; bat towards the end of August and
during the month Of September they leave the
trees, dlspersc, and wander about, eating such
plants as happen to lie in their course, till
they have found suitable place OF shelter and
concealment, where they make their thin and
almost transparent cocoons. composed Of a
slight web Of silk, intermngled with a few
naIrs They remain in the cocoons in the
chrysslIs state through the winter, and ara
transformed to moths in the months of June
and July.
1t is evident that the only time in which we
can attempt to eXterminate these destructive
insects with any prospect of success, is when
,I,1,
their webs on the trees. So soon, then, as the
webs begin to appear on the extrelni,ies of
the branches, they shoald be stripped off, with
the few leaves which they cover, and the cat
erpillars contained thelen, at one GRASP, and
should be crushed under foot"