Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-12-31
BROWN TAILS.
Anothfr Report on the
Moth Situation.
State EntemsIogist Visits the
Places Infested.
Most in York County But Many Colon
les Scattered Elsewhere.

The Investigations Of November the
twenty-eiahth TO December the tenth
concerning the brown-tail moth IN
Maine show the situation to be as fol-
lows.
Kittery Foreside and vicinity Is 50
badly infested that over a large are.t
hardly a tree Is free and many contain
from 20 to 30 winter nests. Here as
elsewhere the pear trees are subject TO
the worst attacks. though wild cherry
and apple trees are not much better
of, eims are badly infested. oaks are
by no means free and MANY other trees
and shrubs are more or less infested.
IT Is not uncommon in this district or
most serious infestat.on to find the
nests upon the wild raspberry and Wild
rose bushes along the roadside.
At Kittcry Point, .Seabury and Ger
IRISH Island I found conditions nearly
as bad. a single EXAMPLE will serve as
an illustrat ion. Near Scabury clumD
of wild cherries whicn | examined last
March and found to he without nests
contains this winter more than one
hundred nests.
from Kittery In York. Eliot and South
Hcrwiek are continuously infested. At
South Berwick some II the most beau
tiful dropping elms III the State are
tipped with nests Of the brown-tai
moth. The apple trees throughout tn"
town are infested. Four miles from
= ,uth Berwick at Il considerable dis
tlncr. from electric or other trains is Il
cherry bush upon viii h six colonies Of
the caterpillar are ncstcd. From
Portsmouth to Portland the apple trees
which form for long distances almost
u'brokcn lines are commonly infested.
observed colonies at Conway juno
ton. AEamcnticus. North Berwick
Wells and West K"nrebunk. At Bid
dcf"rd. during 4 ten minutes walk from
tn" station I counted about one hum
d"cd and tW"nty-s"v"I colonies.
Portland was the first place | ex-
Huniucd which I did not find to be COW
cred by general infestati"n. Ten or
twelve small outlying orchards which
searched are free from the nests.
Th" point most seriously attacked there
il a"narcntly the vicinity IF the Union
Station. On Gilman Street. along tn"
f'Fic" back Of the hospital the bushes
we're badly attacked az were the apple
trees In private yar.ls Gcross, tn" street
observed some nests in elms ncar
here. and found se:rral colonies ia
private trees in the immediate vicinity
Of Fprt-Allcn Park. .- -
In the places remaining to be dis
"a sscd. the infostati"n can best be-
described perhaps as scattering nests. -
rh.
rroNimate distance covered in the in
Nestigati"n Is regarded simply as Il
convenient wayfof suggesting what is
probably the -9eeral situation in the
district by fewdefnitc Illustrations
Between Gardiner and Augusta in !,
fairly contnuouSstree line. searched
several hours and located seven colo
MICS. two of which were i'm the same
orchard. kcnnebec boats. railroad
and electric line might all furnish
guide lights through this district.
At North Pittston during search
over half mile OF roadside and the
orchards bordering | found single in
Tested apple tree. Between North
Pittston and Gardiner I collected a nest
from wild cherry. The insects AT
North Pittston which caused consider
able needless alarm last summer were
not the brown-tail moth or any other
l.cpidoptcrous insect in any Of its
stages. So far as | can judge from
the careful description given by the
observer. the insects were Psocids
feeding upon lichcns on the trunks of
trees. great numbers. as frequently
happens. being clustered together.
pnpkIanI I he,
and discovered three or four rather
widely separated nests. At Camden,
within stones throw OF the wharf |
found three colonies in few minutes.
In Belfast. during Il continuous search
OF four hours l found two colonies.
At Bucksport I found one colony in
an old pear tree very near the Second
street wharf. There were both apple
and cherry trees nearer the water
which were uuinfested. My search
here covered only two hours. but l saw
no other nest i'm that time.
The brown-tail moth was present in
every pa. = visited during this in
vestigation of two weeks.
Although the nests are unmistakable
even from the outside. at each place
tail moth Except five stations on the
Boston & Maine from Conway Junction
Ia West Kennebunk) collected at
least one nest. cut it open and identi-
fled the colony of living .caterpillars
within. 49,.
At Orono on December nth. the fruit
trees, Gins and wild cherries. between
Main street and the railroad track
from Pine street to the Basin Mills
station were examined and no nest
was found. This seems fairly sus-
ceptible area and the results Of the in
spection indicate that II nests are
found In the vicinity Of Orono they will
She .sOla ted colonies.
nRnspectfullv submitted.
7nITH M. PATCH.