The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-07-31
GREAT DAMAGE
BY ALIEN MOTHS


, Washington, ID. G, July 31.-Tw,
= unbidden immigrants came into tn,
United States some years ago; today
they are the objects OF the combined
attack OF the federal and several stat,
governments, which have turned t.
Europe and Asia for help in their
fight Not only have the two unwel-
come visitors devastated vast vegeta =
BILE tracts in this country, but one of
them has originated and introduced a
new human ailment that is doing great
damage TO the business of summer re-
sorts The two immigrants are the
gypsy and the brown-taI moth.
| The warfare being waged against them
is described in communication to the
National Geographic Society. at Wash
ington, ID. G., by DR.. l.. q. Howard.
The gypsy-moth, according to the
writer, was brought To this country
| for experimental purposes by French
professor OF astronomy in a New Eng
land university. Its importation is
| about the only case of its kind on rec
| ord The brown-tail came to our
shores in the normal course of COM
merce. From 1892 until 1900. both spe-
cies were confined To Massachusetts,
where a bitter fight was waged against
them by the state. From 1900 To 1905,
however, they were unmolested, ex-
cept by individual property holders.
Since 1905, Massachusetts has been
joined in her fight by New Hampshire,
Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut,
into which states the pests migrated.
And now the United States govern
ment has stepped i'm to prevent the
further spread over the face of the
country.
Caterpilars Carried by Wind.
Since the young OF the moth prefer
the leaves Of certain trees for food, the |
states are removing these trees from
the forests. subject TO the moth attack |
In some cases, the problem may mean |
ultimate reforestation The female |
gypsy-moth does not fly, but the spe-
cies was spread when the insect, while |
in the caterpillar stage, crawled on |
trolley ears, automobiles and other ve-
hicles, and upon the clothes of pedes-
TRANS. This condition was remedied |
by driving the pests from the high
ways for distance Of so to 100 feet
Enormous wire screens, coated with a
sticky substance to entangle them !
erected to the windward of infected |
woods, demonstrated the fact that
many young caterpillars, suspended by
their silken thread, were carried by the
wind to distance of six miles or more,
and the attacking forces are now con-
centrating their efforts along the bor-
der Of spread. AS an added precaution
to spread Of the pests, all products
shipped from the infested region are
rigidly inspected for the larvae of the
insect. The female brown tail moth is
a strong flyer, but fortunately she is
not so hard to control. Early spring
and fall spraying and the cutting off
and burning of the characteristic WIN
ter nests have brought wonderful re-
suits.
Causes Rash on Human Skin.
The principle money loss caused by
'HS idtN'i pNSl oStulS Ut the summer
resort where the prevalence of what
has come TO be known as the brown
All rash keeps people away. The
lairs Of the brown-tail caterpillar are
lnely barbed and brittle and where
hey come in contact with the human
skin these hairs enter the skin pores,
Freak off, and cause a severe irritation. ,
t is not always necessary for the cat ;
'rpillar to come in contact with the ,
kin for at certain times of the year s
he hairs are floating in the air.
The more recent recruits i'm the war ,
against the moths are numerous spe- {
les OF true parasites, which have been ,
from Europe and Asia. Chief :
mong them is the Calosoma beetle, :
whose specially is the devouring of ,
Caterpilars. Although slow :
o get a start, these beetles are now ,
hriving in this country and are ex- 9
'ected To extcrminate millions of the ,
moths during the present summer I
mother recruit is the Japanese egg ,
arasite the Schedius kuvanae, which 7
ndergoes it's entire development in 8
ingle gypsy-moth egg.