Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-04-09

/
| different parasites was so encouraging
! that after eight years of field work it
4 was deemed most practical to attempt
colonization of parasites to compile
| ment the work in Maine" states
! Major Edward Z. Philbrook of Port
! land, the field agent in charge of the
| gypsy moth work in Maine in his an
nual report which was recently rem
| dered. and last March laboratory for
| breeding parasites and for making OBJ
servation on their work was estab-
lished in Portland. Space is afforded
ia the building for microscopic dis
section and for keeping accurate notes
on development and dispersion of the
insects worked with, In the work at
the laboratory the predaceous and
parasitic enemies of the gypsy and
brown tail moths, used TO breed, and
liberate in this state, have been Sc
lected with great care as to their
economic importance.
Continuing Major Philbrook speaks
of the parasites:
THE undertaking was begun only
after a careful study of the relative
value of the different parasites dealt
and relying on the advice of Prof. A,
r. .Burge, in charsa of the government
laboratory at Melrose, Mass, and of
the experts there connected. The
work of breeding and liberating thus
far has been with the anateies
laeteieolor and meteorus Versicolor as
enemies of the browntoil moth,
compsilura eoncinnata, parasitic on
both the gypsy and brown-tail moth
and the calosoma sycophanta beetle
also predatory to both insects.
without taking up the life history
OF any of the parasites it might be IN
teresting to learn Of the methods used
in handling the apanteles. In Euro
pean countries where this insect is
well established. it is possible to col
lect the eocoons in large quantities
from the field and transport them to
other localities But at the Name
laboratory, the following method OF
development was adopted:
Brown tail webs, collected in locali-
ties known to be, infested with
apanteles and meteorus, were brought
to the Maine laboratory and placed IN
feeding trays. These trays are maze
of a light wooden frame with cotton
cloth bottom, the top open except ior
narrow strip covered with tangletoot'
As the caterpillars emerge from the
webs they are held in confinement by
the tanglefoot and fed at once on
fresh cherry leaves. or other suitable
food plant This feeding was con-
tinued at intervals of two or three
hours for 10 days when a section OF
coarse mosquito netting cut to fit the
inside dimensions of the tray was
spread over the refuse feed and larvae
more feed placed in the trays, thus
drawing the maggot bearing larvae
away from the refuse feed. After
another six days this operation was
repeated with similar effect. When
the maggots began to emerge and spin
cocoons, the section of the web bear
ing the refuse feed and mounting nets
were transferred to the picking cage
leaving the more active caterpillars in
the feeding trays.
THE work of picking the cocoons
from the refuse was very disagreeable
and attended by great personal dis
comfort. The dried and partly eaten
leaves. the moulting webs and all ma
terial necessary to be handled are COW
cred with the poison spines from the
brown tail hairs. To inhale this
poison or acquire in the eyes Is very
dangerous. This disagreeable fea-
ture was obViated to some extent by
picking cage, which resembles an
ordinary show case with top and sides
of glass and at the back, holes cut
and armulets made of canvass insert
ed to protect the operator during the
process of picking. Even by this
protection and by wearing rubber
gloves great discomfort was expert
enced during this operation. AS soon
as a sufficient number of cocoons were
obtained they were carried into the
field for colonization as quickly as
possible before the adult flies had
time to emerge, suitable localities haV-
ing been selected by careful inspec-
ton. earlier in the season. In the
field the cocoons were placed in
waterproof box, this box being
slightly perforated on the side. nailed
to a tree, both tree and box being
smeared with tree tanglefoot to pre-
vent destruction Of the cocoons by
ants, and here left to emerge. In this
manner colonies were liberated in
North Yarmouth, New Gloucester
Buxton, Gorham, Old Town, Pittsfield,
Dexter, Winterport, Readfield, Port
land. Gardiner, Lisbon, Newcastle and
Wiscasset, and about 10000 cocoons
We're distributed.
"A sufficient number OF meteorus
versicolor were also obtained to es-
tablish two colonies of this parasite
which is handled in a very similar
manner as the apanteles already des-
cribed.
AS soon as the work on the
spanteles and meteorus was completed
the eompsilura and ealosoma was TAX
en- up and continued until painting OF
each had been made The compsilura
concinnata should prove of great
economic value, as they will attack
both the gypsy and brown-tail moth
with avidity and at least 16 of our
native insects are known to serve as
its hosts. The cabbage butterfly and
the tussock moth are readily attacked
and great good may be expected where
the tussock moth to Portland and the
cabbage butterfly to Cape Elizabeth
have AZ times been considered as Seri-