Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-10-24
THE TROUBLESOME CATERpILLARS.


valuable Suggestions by the Delaware Col.
lego Experiment Station.
The caterpillar nuisance was go an
noying the past summer that the web.
worm was made a special study by the
professors at Delaware College Agricul-
tural Experiment. Station, and a bulle
tin on the subject has been issued and
Its conteuts are timely, as a warning.
These caterpillars, the bulletin says,
are easily recognized by the large web
which they spin over the foliage and
within which they feed. Ounce. apple,
and cherry trees seem to be worst at
tackled, and very frequently these are
found almost entirely defoliated, and
covered with webs, while some 100
fruit apd shade trees are included In
the list OF food plants OF this pest. Thu
web.worms are readily distinguished
from the tent caterpillars which appear
IN ths spring, as the latter do not en-
close the foliage in their tent, which is
smaller; the -caterpillars are black
with white stripe down the middle OF
the back, while the web worms are
more commonly light yellowish.
When full grown the web-worms are
about one inch long, varying from pale
yellow to greenish or dai er shades,
The body Is covered with tufts of long,
straight hairs arising from small gel.
low protuberances. A broad dusky or
blaclsish stripe extends down the back,
on each side of which is a yellowish
band, speckled with black. The
parents of this pest are quits pretty
moths, usually OF milk. white color,
though often SPOTTED with black, whose
wings expand about la inches from tip
to tip. They emerge IN May or June
and the females each deposit from 400
to 800 eggs ia patches on the under sides
OF the leaves. These eggs hatch late
in June, and become full grown about
the middle OF July. They then crawl
down the tree and burrow slightly I'm.
der the surface of the ground or creep
under loose bark, OF into some such
shelter There they spin their elkeu
cocoons containing numerous hairs
from their bodies, and in these trans.
form to pope. From the Iupe the
moths emerge late in July or August
and lay eggs for another brood of
worms. These worms become full grown
late in September or jE October, and
the pups remain IN the cocoons over
winter, the moths emerging the next
spring.
The following remedies are given
Banding trees with cotton IS OF no value
against this pest, though a most desifa-
bic means OF trapping the tussock moth
oaterpillars, which are so often in.
furious to shade trees, as the Web
worms do not crawl from tree to tree.
Spraying the trees with an arsenioal
poison will soon rid them OF the worms.
Either Paris green, green arsenoid,
arsenate Ut lead, or arsenite Of lime will
be found satisfactory. Paris green or
green arsenoid should be used at the
rate Of one-tourth pound to barrel of
water, to which should be added two
pounds CT freshly slalNsd quick lime.
During the winter the coooons may be
easily collected and destroyed.
One OF the best and most common
means OF destroying the worms is to
burn them in their webs. If this be
done at nightfall, it can be done with
out any material injury to the twiSs,
which will soon put out new leaves and
will not be permanently dis6gured, and
10 much better than pruning off the in
teoted parts. A bundle Of rags wired to
the end of a long pole makes good
toreh for this work, or porous brick
wired to a pole and saturated with
kerosene is even better. Care should
be taken 10 the use of such torches
near buildings to avoid any possibility
Of conhagrstion.
The following request is made: The
entomologist of the experiment station
would he glad to receive notes concern
ing injuries by the above insect, or by
any others concerning which informa-
tion may be desired, or which ara
especially Injurious. II the Identify OF
the insect Is not known, always send
specimens Of 1t packed In wooden or
tin box together with some of the food
plant upon which the insects may feed
while en- route.