Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-08-15
CATERpILLARS ABOUT AGAIN.
The Second Brood Doing More Damage
Than the First Brood.

The Second Brood Doing More Damage
Than the First Brood.
The second blood OF caterpillare Is out in
full fnrce aud the pests are bgain hard Mt
work on the shade trees of the city. II.
Dwight sanderson, entomologist, of Della.
ware College Agricultural Experimental
Station, while Ia the city on Monday,
noticed that much damage was being done
and has written the following on the subject:
Another brood OF the cnterpill1rs which
so seriously injured shade trees In this city
month ago, Is now doing even worse
standing near badly infested trees, are now
being attacked and injury to them will soon
become apparent. All of the eggs from
which the second brood Of caterpilars arise,
have Matched and most OF tbs caterpillars
are halt-growu, while, occasionally one is
found full grown and ready TO form its
cocoon. Most of these early maturing
cnterpillars will eventually become male
moths, for those which transform to females
require week or 10 days longer TO become
full griwn, shedding their skins five times
instead of three, os do the male caterpillars,
and when full grown being hnlf as lnrge
again. }z
As the caterpillnrs, now mostly only half
grown, are busily feeding upon the foliage,
Que should not be deceived into thiuking
they have disappeared, because not numer-
Gus upon the trunks of the trees, streets or
show that on many trees which from dis
lance look green and uuinjured, large num-
bers of the leaves have been skeletonized
and many more are beiug rapidly devuured.
Now, then, is the proper time to apply
cotton bands to catch the caterpillars of
this brood. Soon as they becUme full grown
and injured trees become overcrowded, they
will drop to the ground and travel to other
trees. As the ndult feDlules are wingless,
this Is the only way In which the pest is
spread.
But, If cotton bands be tied around all the
trees, the cntsrpillars being unable TO cross
them may be easily caught when accufnu-
lated on the lower part of the trunk To
be of any real value, therefore. the bands
aud trunks OF banded treas should be in-
spected every day and all the cHterpillnrs
found destroyed. Otherwise they will merely
travel to other trees or will spin up their
1ocoons uudisturbed. It seems too bad that,
though many trees in tho city have been
banded, but few of them have been of much
value on this account, Ms the bands have
merely been tied on and then left unat-
tended. II should be distinctly understood
that the bands act only as temporary traps,
and do not destroy the cnterpillars at all.
These cotton bands are cheAp, easily APP
piled and quite effective. If every property
owner wouli place bands upon his trees
and have the coterpillars and cocoons a.
stroyed as they accumulate, the caterpillar
phSb WOulu TecplNH u Nety ueclutu cIechs ~
Is as important, or more so, to hand unin-
jured trees us those injured, hecause 1t Is TO
these that the cuterpillars migrate in search
of place 10 propagate.
third brood of caterpillnrs will appear
in September. but in all PROBABILITY will not
do as much damage as the present one.
1t would seem that, with the large number
of beautiful and valuable shade trees there
IRE IN Wilmington, some city official should
have authority and means for suppressinR
such insect pests, for unless they be more
Systematically combatted than at present, IL
will be but few years before many trees
are killed, as several have been already. In
several New England cities and others
throughout the country, these insect PESTS
have injured the shade trees,ia city forester
has been employed by the park board or
City Council und ordinances enacted giving
him authority and means with which TO
properly protect the shade trees of the city
by such means as he deems best. Had VIII
miugton such an official. with the expen6i.
ture Of few hundred dollars, he could soon
rid the city of the present caterpillar pest
and prevent its further spread.