Leopard Moth
This insect is widely diffused in England, but is seldom very abundant. The moths, both male and female, have the ground colour white, semi-translucent on the wings, scattered thickly with blue-black roundish spots. The hind wings have the spots less distinct. The antennae, in both sexes, are rather short; in the female, they are thread-like, but in the male they are pectinate at the base on each side. The larva is whitish, with black glossy spots, and has a blackish plate on the segment next the head. It feeds on the wood in the interior of the stems and branches of Pear, Apple, and Plum-trees; but the trees seem to suffer very little from its attacks, and Newman even remarks that the infested trees seem to bear larger crops of fruit than the healthy ones. The pupae may be found in the galleries bored by the larvae; they move readily along by means of rings of small spines on the hinder parts of the body. The moths appear about midsummer, and may be found on the tree trunks. The males are attracted by light, e.g., to gas lamps. If desired, the larvae may be killed in their burrows either by pushing down a strong wire, or by injecting a solution of soft-soap or tobacco-water. It has also been recommended to force fumes of sulphur or tobacco-smoke into the burrows. See also Insects.