Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-05-15
SADDLED PROMINENT

presence.
SADDLED PROMINENT
CHeterocampa guttivitta WalkeD
Late last summer this insect severely
attacked maple and other hardwoods In
the southern part Of the State, notably
In Guiiford. The saddled prominent is
native insect, always present to some ex-
tent but only rarely becoming a pest
The best record outbreak of the species
occurred In Maine in 19O7-S-9. Judging by
its actions those years and by the usual
course of such occasional ranpages Of
native insects, we may expect a recur-
rance Of the pest this season and possibly
next. with probably wider range of
infestation.
The newly Matched caterpillars appear
late In July. adorned with curious ant
lerlike appendages which later disap-
pear When full grown, after about
month, they are an inch and half long,
green with a purple marking on the back
suggesting their name They are practi-
cally smooth and taper toward the rear
extremity Late in August they form
! light cocoons in the leaf mold and trans
form into shiny brown pupae in which
state they remain till spring, the moths
emerging late in May to deposit their
eggs.
Although the excessive numbers are
sure to succumb within three or four
years to the attacks of insect parasites,
birds and disease. the saddled prominent
is extremely noxious while plentiful
Artificial control in large woodland areas
is impracticable but in certain cases, as
of small sugar places. groves, shade
trees. etc. 1t would appear that pro-
lection might be had by rakfng and
burning the leaves and top leaf mold to
destroy the pupae or by pasturing hogs
or poultry there for the same purpose.
before the middle of May. Apple
orchards near Indications should be
sprayed with arsenate of lead. pounds
paste to so gallons of water, eearly in
July, for in Maine the species developed
a decided taste for apple foliage.
GREEN STRIPED MAPLE WORM
(Anisota rubicunda Fab
This Species sometimes known as the
rosy dryocampa, was discovered work
ing with the sadded prominent. COM
partnership of which there Is also record
in other parts of the country, and an
unusual number of adults and larvae
were noted elsewhere about the state
From pupae found in the woods at Man.
chester where trees had been stripped
it would appear that this insect was
particularly abundant there. Presum.
ably it may again be plentiful this year
The full grown larva is two and a hall
inches long. greenish white, marked witt
longitudinal dark green stripes. There
are red patches on each side near thu
hind end and it may further be distin
guished by two hornlike projections oil
the head. The pupa is almost black anc
the shell is hard. The adult is of hand
some creamy yellow color marked will
rose. The seasons of its life histor,
: stages are practically those of the sad
died prominent, but it feeds almost en-
tirely on maple. The pupae lie loosel.
t under the leaves and may be destroyed
by the same measures were recon-
mended for the sadded prominent.
YELLOW NECKED AND RED HUMP
ED APPLE TREE CATERPILLARS
= CDantana ministra Dru. and Schizur
concinna S. & Az
These two native species usually in
significant in importance, have been S
abundant in the past two years as com
r pletely to strip many young orchards an
to injure also larger trees. Thei
presence has often led to false alarms O
gypsy moth discovery. It is likely tina
= tney may again NC pien'iIul tniS SUN
e mer.
Their habits are. for practical pun
. poses, identical. Adults deposit eggs /
Y midsummer, principally upon appl
. leaves. The caterpillars shortly hate
f and begin feeding. all those from an eg
f mass remaining close together until flu
n grown. While small trees may be de
). folated, it Is commonly only certai
@ branches of the larger ones which al
: stripped of leaves
q AS the egg laying period covers sever;
q weeks groups of newly Matched catel
n pillars are frequently found on the sam
trees with fully grown ones.
The common names well characters
these insects. The yellow necked cate
pillars. when approaching maturity. a,
black, striped lengthwise with yellow an
- there is a band about the neck of II
same color. In the earlier stages IL
whole body has an orange cast II
u over two inches in length and is bl
g thinly covered with hair The red hum
n ed caterpillar is somewhat shorter,
dark colored, striped with fine reddis
" lines and has pronounced red hump
& the back.
r BY close inspection late in July II
n prevalence of these insects can be not,
IL in orchards by the beginning of the
Y characteristic feeding and if many
~ the groups are observed the trees shou
ID at once be sprayed with arsenate
IN lead, pounds paste to so gallons
'e water.
Of PERIODICAL CICADA
ls The periodical cicada is scheduled to a
81 pear about the first of June througho
a large section of the country; and {
though previous records of 1t in Vermo
are meagre, il is probable that the inse
will emerge here in at least some loca
~ ties
Nv II was long ago misnamed "sevente
w. year locust" but it is totally unlike t
true locust or grasshopper. The gre
-. locust plaques of history were caused
"a grasshoppers: not by cicadas.
w The appearance of the adults each II
" year, at any point where the species
present AT all, Is accurately regulat
~ by nature, for the young. Matching fro
~, the eggs deposited at these STATED CO
" vocatons, Immediately enter the grou
~ and spend II years in growing to m
Nv turity. On the 18th year, early in SUI
,ls mer, the grub-like nymph emerge fire.
w the ground. climb up the trees. and CA
~ ing-'off their pupa skins. appear In t
- perfect state, bodies about an inch ior
~ eyes red and wings transparent with
MN veins. In shape they resemble the q
,,e day cicada or harvest fly.
=, Generally, even in localities where IN
-. occur in huge swafms, the unusual SIS
~ of so many cast skins and adults up