Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-24
INSECT PESTS AND FRIENDS.
THE CACTUS LADY.BUG DESTROY.
ING OUR ENEMIES.
Natures Remedies for Natures Evils
Summer Washes for Fruit
Trees and Vines.

". G. Klee the recently elected State In
spector of Pests, has issued No. 3 of the
bulletins by the State Board Of Horticult-
ure, which is as follows
II seems very desirable that all fruit.
growers should become fully acquainted
with the predaceous insects, which must be
considered their friends, az 1t is through
their agency that all the worst pests are
kept in check, and what naturalists term
1.-The balance of nature is preserved. I'm
fortunately, by the propagation Of certain
trees, the food plants OF these insects pests
often increase to an alarming extent, and
generally so fast that their enemies are fer
from being able to cope with them. Such
has been the case in California for the last
few years, and without washing and spray
ing o. the trees with antidotes, many Or
chards would have been totally destroyed.
Gradually il seems, however, that the law
of nature is asserting itself, and parasites
and predaceous insects are making their APP
pearance in vast numbers. The iehneu-
mon flies are making war on the scales and
on many other insects. OF the more con-
spicuous insects the syrphUs hies have been
very numerous this season, their green,
blind larva having apparently totally an
initiated the aphis in the plum orchards,
formerly badly infested. The iadybug
have kept them company, and have also
DESTROYED vast numbers of woody aphis and
grain aphis, appearing in many instances,
as it seemed, in the eleventh hour, just in
time to save the latter from destruction.
The lace-winged flies (chrysopa) so con-
spicuous BY their large, delicate wings, and
large, lusrous eyes, have appeared IN vast
numbers, and their larvae have made havoc
with the scale insects. But perhaps the
most striking acquisition III this line Is the
so called
CACTUS bADY-BUG
The CAilocor,ls Cdctt, whose principal food
is the various scale insects. Some four
weeks ago, when in the town of Santa Cruz,
| found the chilocorus feeding on the olive
scale (Lecaai,us otee) on trets badly infest-
ed. At Los Gatos they were noticed by me,
at Mr.. Yocco's place, feeding on soft orange
scale. However, the most striking case
presented to me was in the Willows, at San
Jose. where Mr.. Newhall, the nurseryman,
directed my attention to it. We found ct
an old orchard five large pear trees, which,
bv the rough appearance of the bark,
clearly showed that they had been once
badly affected by scale-in this case
by Aspidiotts penicaostn. In patches all
over the trunk could be seen the mature
insect, with its black, shiny body and two
conspicuous red spots, and numerous pup@
still partly covered with the black, soft
spines of the larval skin. No live scale
could be found, and the two last years
growth was clean and smooth. 1t was
Stated to me that the orchard had not been
washed tor three years, which seemed TO
point strongly to the conclusion that at
least the final subjugation was due to the
lady bug.
Another case in question, the orchard of
Messrs. Winton and Webster, in Castro
valley, near Haywards, Alameda county.
A number of plum trees were some years
ago found to be badly infested with ASptdt-
otas p7nicioslas, and from them spread to
the currant bushes close by, which pre-
viously were badly infested with another
species of scale, and by the united efforts OF
those pests good many were Killed. The
plum trees were sprayed with solution OF
I've, which, although killing most scales,
did not kill them all. The currant bushes
were not sprayed, but, although showing by
THE THICK COATING OF DRY SCALES
That they had been once feariully infested,
no live scale could be seen on them, while
the trees were absolutely clean. In look
ing around on the trees | found number
of larvae of Chloc0rus, as well as mature
beetles; and on the currant bushes found
quite number. On the whole, all evidence
indicated that here. also the lady-bugs had
been instrumental in killing the scale bugs.
The lava is black, crossed by light yell
low band about the middle, and is armed
with many soft, long and branching spines.
The pupa is formed within the larval skin,
which splits open along the back sufficiently
to show the inclosed chrvsalis, which is
black with a few scattered tufts of hairs.
The beetle, which is about one-fourth OF an
inch long and nearly round, is Of shining
black color, with red spot ON each wing
case.
sUMaUR WASHES.
Attention has been drawn to the useful