Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1905-08-29
Red.humped Apple Tree Caterpillar.

Several specimens of an unknown
species of caterpillar have been brough
into the Democrat office within few
weeks, with the inquiry whether the,
were the caterpillar of the brown-tai
moth. As no specimen of full-growl
brown-tail moth caterpillar has eve
been placed on exhibition here, it wa
impossible to say absolutely with re
gard to the specimens brought in, blu
the opinion has been expressed in every
case that they were not brown-tails
According to the illustrations of tn,
brown-tail caterpillar it is an inch and ;
half long, and covered with hairs nearly
quarter of an inch long. The cater
pillars brought in, with one exception
are longer and without long hairs, anC
they also have some red markings which
would seem to fix them as the fred
bumped apple tree caterpillar" Writ
ing in the Pennington Chronicle, d. II
Knowlton, secretary of the Maine State
Pathological Society, says:
"Several lots of caterpillars, found or
fruit trees, have recently been brought
to me, and I learn of others near by who
call them 'Brown-tail moths So fal
as l have examined these in each case
they were the red-humped apple tree
caterpillar. This moth appears about
the last of June and deposits the eggs in
clusters on the under side of leaf. In
few days they hatch out and begin to
eat and grow. When not eating, they
remain together, sometimes completely
covering the branch they rest upon.
They reach maturity during August or
early in September. The head of this
caterpillar is coral-red, and there is a
hump on the back on the fourth seq
ment of The same color-hence the name.
The body is traced lengthwise by slender
black, yellow and white lines, and there
are two rows of black prickles along the
back, and other shorter ones upon the
sides, from each of which there arises a
fine hair.
"These caterpillars seem to be more
numerous than usual, at any rate are at
tracing more attention. They should
be destroyed wherever found"
AS for the brown-tail moths, if any
should be found at this season they
would be very small, as those which
came to maturity this year have some
time since passed the moth stage. Re-
garding these Mr.. Knowlton writes:
"As to brown-tail moths: The moths
appear about the 18th of July, when the
females lay their eggs on the leaves of
whatever tree may be selected. The
eggs hatch about the first of August.
Although the caterpillars eat as soon as
hatched and keep eating until the leaves
fall, they do not do any great injury.
Their chief concern seems to be the
of winter nest, which they
fasten securely to some terminal twig,
which may be easily seen when the
leaves are off. Their nests should be
gathered and burned"
No one should read this paragraph so
hastily as to infer from it that the
tail is, after all, not serious
pest. Mr.. KnowltOn says, to be sure,
that the caterpillars Matched this year,
though they eat till the leaves fall, "do
not do any great injury; but it will be
noted that this applies only to their
work this season. During the first
season they attain length of only
about quarter of an inch, and of course
eat but little, before going into their
winter nests. When they awake in the
spring, they grow rapidly, and feed
from the new leaves on the