The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-02-29
BULLETIN ISSUED
 ON LEOPARD MOTH.
Destructive Insect Has Done Much
 Damage In This State.
An interesting article on tt

An interesting article on the Leo pard Moth' has been issued in special Agricultural Experiment Station at New Haven. The authors are w. G. Briton and |. A. Cromie, who have made an extensive study of this pest, which is directly affecting Connecti- cut. The summary is as follows:
 The leopard moth occurs in Europe
 and parts of Asia and Africa, and was
 probably accidentally introduced into
 this country from Europe more than
 thirty years ago, being first noticed at
 IIoboken; N. J.. and later spreading
 toward the north and east along the
 coast. At the present time it is
 found from Asbury, N. J., to Law
 renee, Mass, but has not been taken more than twenty-five miles inland.
 The larvae or caterpillars cause great damage to nearly all kinds of shade trees by boring in the branches just under the bark and cutting large galleries, often across the grain, thus girdling them. Dead branches eX- tending above the mass of foliage in the tree-tOps are d sign of attack, and or during the summer. The pest has been especially destructive to elm and silver maple trees in the coast cities and towns of Connecticut, but is not so abundant in the open country. It has caused much damage also in the cities of New Jersey, New York City, Providence, Cambridge and Boston.
 The adult moths are dirty white, with semitransparent wings marked with metallic blue dots. These have an eXpanse of one and three-fourths inches in the male to two and one half inches in the female. The larva is yellow or dirty white, marked with brown or black dots, and about two inches long
 males being Very common around cleo tric lights, and the females lay eggs singly or. in groups of two, three or four in the creVices of the bark or the hII69 The larvae matching in q few days, begin to tunnel in the twigs, and by the end of the season are about one inch in length They leave the small branches and crawl over the bark to enter larger ones, cutting large galleries in them and eXpelling the frass through round holes. which they soon close with silk webs During October the borers go deeper into the wood, and remain through the winter two inches or more beneath the bark. They pupate in their burrows the second spring, and before the moth emerges the pupa works itself partly out of the leaving the empty case Drotruding from the burrow.
 There arc few natural checks, only one parasite being known in this country anC four in Europe. It is believed, however, that certain birds, woodpecl<ers, prevent the spread of the leopard moth in the open country. Many larvae are doubt less killed by the breaking off of the branches, which in citiee are carted away and destroyed.
 Rem owing infested branches; inject ing carbon disulphIde CbisuIphide) into the burrows. and stopping the opening; probing with a hooked wire for the larvae; are some of the meth 0dS of control.
 Planting species of trees not badly | infested; like oaks, honey locust and | sycamore, and especially those kinds | that do not grow very large, and have | a. smooth bark; placing trees further | 4p,.rt, so that the larvae cannot easily l rawl from one to the other: and | seeping the trees well nourished and | vigorous. are the chief preventive | measures.