Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-21
THE AUGUST PEST
Washington Again Suffering From q
Plague Of Oaterpillars
SHADE TREES BEING SKELElONIZED
White House Fins Also Invaded
by the insects.
FACTS CONCERNING THEM

The caterpillar In no respecter OF per-
sons. The high and mighty and the low
| and humble who walk the streets and ave-
nues OF the nations capital are equally
liable to find him crawling on their necks
and calmly making a survey Of their spinal
columns. Neither Is the hairy wormy in
dividual any respecter Of natures bounte-
ous beauties. He regards the latter so far
as leaves OF trees are concerned, from a
purely unitarian standpoint. and just now
he Is proving both these statements with
emphatic earnestness. Several hundred
million of him apparently are paying the
city their usual August visit. The result is
that the boughs Of shade trees are show
ing gaunt behind the fretwofk of leaves
which the voracious pest has skeletonized,
and in every direction the little yellow fell
lows are seen coming down from limbs
above by means If spider-like threads to
seek another limb somewhere which will
AFFORD food for more destruction.
The caterpillar in question Is the product
OF the white-marked tussock moth, the le-
kal name OF which is orgyia leucostigma-
| ranges from Jacksonville to Nova Scotia
1t attacks almost every variety Of shade
Iru1t and ornamental trees except conifers
and In this city It seems to select by pref
and birches. as well as willows 1t is also
found here on apple pear. cherry. peach,
plum and a number Of other trees
characteristics of the Pest.
DR.. l.. o. Howard, entomologist Of the
Department OF Agriculture, in his interest
ing pamphlet entitled Three Insect Enc
| mics Of Shade Trees" which is published in
the departments series as Farmers Bulle-
ton No. 80, says:
Nl,;o
state. The overwintering eggs are laid by
the female moth in the latter part Of Sep
lemDer. In gl1stening white, frOthy-look-
ing mass attached to the outside of the
cocoon. They are seen at a glance, owing
to their pure white color. and remain con-
sp1cuous upon the trees until spring. The
caterpillars hatch in Washington in April
and May. They cast the skin five times,
exhibiting different character after each
mott
THE newly Matched young feed on the
under surface of the leaf, producing a
skeletonfzed appearance. After the fourth
mott the caterpillars begin to eat from the
edge of the leaf and devour everything ex-
cept the principal veins.
THE young caterpillars drop down, sus-
pended by silken threads, at even a slight
Earring OF the tree and frequently spin
down without such disturbance. and are
blown to q considerable distance by the
wind. When nearly full grown they are
great travellers, crawling down the trunk
and across considerable stretch Of ground
TO ascend another tree When they occur
IN numbers, an extensive migration will
always take place from tree which has
been nearly defOliated, and the species
spreads mainly, If not entirely, in this way
DR.. Howard, continuing, says elaborate
observations were made upon the August
brood in 1895 Certain Of the larvae under
observation, which Matched August 2, COM
menced to spin September 3, and Septem-
Der IA the first male moths appeared, and
September 10 the first females From this
he Is certain there are two annual genera
Remedies Prescribed.
Treating Of remedies, he says:
There are two classes Of remedies, as
we'll as an excellent preventive that may
be used to advantage against this insect.
These are the collection or destruction of
the eggs in the winter, spraying the trees
against the larvae and banding unattached
trees to prevent the ascent of the caters
pillars and the subsequent development Of
moths and the laying Of eggs.
The collection and destruction, or the
destruction without collecting, Of the eggs
must be thorough In order to have any
practical efficacy. The great majority Of
the alternating egg masses are deposited
low down on the trunk Of the tree or upon
the main limbs. SO that they can be
reached in one way or another without
much difficulty. The egg mass is compact,
and. being attached to the somewhat film
sy cocoon and not to the bark, it is easily
removed either by hand or by scraping 1t
off. The egg masses which have been
Scraped or must not be allowed to remain
be collected and burned. A scraper for the
removal Of egg masses which occur too
high to be reached by hand has been de-
vised, and consists of very small hoe
unskilled labor can bs utilised in this OPP
GRAFTON. but the workman should be i'm
pressed with the necessity of absolute
thoroughness; not an egg mass should be
overlooked.
White House Elms Attacked.
An Evening Star reporter today made q
caterpillar inspection tour. It Is needless
to describe what he found along the streets
where trees are growing, that Is COM
mon knowledge. He found no signs of the
caterpillars in the Agricultural Department
grounds or the Smithsonian Park, but in
the inclosed grounds south Of the White
House he saw that the elms had already
been attacked, and that many small limbs
already visited by the insects had been cut
off. They were lying on the grass at the
foot of each tree, and singular to relate
their leaves were still well populated with
active caterpillars, and some Of the latter
noticed crawling over the ground toward
other trees We're stopped by the reporters
SHOE
Trying to Check Ravages.
TO check the raVages on the shade trees
superintendent Lanham Of the parking
commission today assigned force of his
men to the duty OF destroying the pests
along Pennsylvania avenue from LIST street
northwest, up the north side to 18th street.
returning east on the south side. The
workmen are supplied with ladders, long
poles for knocking the insects from the
tree bough ana hose carriage and hose
for washing OF the trees and flooding the
streets afterward to carry the fallen cater
pillars into the nearby sewers.
Upon completing operations on the avenue
the men Of the parking commission may be
assigned to other sections Of the city where
the trees are suffering.
THE THoMpsON WILL