Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1886-07-29
SAVE THE GOOD LADY, BUG.
state Board OF TX ssrticuisure-Bu
Iettn No. 8.

state Beard OF N strttcuitu eel u l.
Ietfn NO. s.
1t seems very desirable that all fruit.
growers should become fully acquainted
with the predaceous insects, which D, :, :,
be considered their friends, o, !, !,
through their agency that all a.. -,
pests are kept in check, AM ,vhat us n.,,
ralists term the "balanc, IS "n ".. ns'a !.
n ~,s Unfortp, Oh nature" Is
preserVeu, .n; lately, by the prop.
agation o. ces..s'" frees, the food plants
Oh .nese in1oo' !, pests often increase to
an siat.hue extent, and generally SO fast
tnas VI cir enemies are far from being
aois % cope with them. Such has been
W. case ia California for the last few
years, and without washing and spray
ing of the trees with antidotes many or.
chards would have been totally de.
stroyed. Gradually, 1t seems, however,
that the law Of nature is assert
ing itself, and parasites and pre-
daceous insects ara making their appear
ance in vast numbers. The ichneumon
flies are making war on the scales and
on many other insects. OF the more
conspicuous insects the Surplus flies
have been very numerous, lhis season
their green, blind larv@ having, appar-
emily, totally annihilated the aphis in
the plum orchards, formerly badly in
tested. The ladybugs have kept them
company and have also destroyed vast
numbers of woslly aphis and green 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, lustrous eyes, have appeared
in vast numbers, and their larv@ have
made havoc with the scale insects. But
perhaps the most striking acquisition in
this line is the so.called Csntus lady bug,
the Chiiocorus Caeti, whose principal
food is the various scale insects.
Some four weeks ago, when in the
town Of Santa Cruz, found the Chito-
eorss feeding on the olive scale
(Lecanium oleae) on trees badly infested.
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.. New
hall, the nurseryman, directed my at
tention to it. We found at an old ORCH
ard five large pear trees which by the
rough appearance Of the bark clearly
showed they had once been badly af-
fected by the scale-in this case by
Aspidiotas perniciosus. In patches all
over the trunk could be seen the mature
insect, with its black, shiny bedy aud
two conspicuous red spots, and numer-
GUS pups still partly covered with
the blacS, soft spines Of the lar
val skin. No live scale could be
found, and the last two years
growth was clean and smooth. 1t
was stated to me that the orchard had
not been washed for three years, which
seemed 70 point strongly to the conclus-
ion that at least the final subjugation Of
the scale was due to the ladybug.
Another case in question, the orchard
Of Messrs. Winton L Webster. in Castro
valley, near Haywards, Alameda county.
A number of plum trees were some
years ago found to be badly infested
wi IN Aspidietxs perntciosus, and from
them spread to the currant bushes
close by, which previously 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 strong solution uf I've, which, al
though 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 fearfully infested, no live
scale could be seen on them, while the
trees were absolutely clean. In look
ing around on the trees found large
number OF larvae of Chitocorus, as well
Is mature beetles; and on the currant
bushes found quite number. On the
whole, alf evidence indicated that here,
also, the lady-bugs had been instru-
mental in killing the scale bugs.
In view of these personal obssrva-
tons, and from the reports of similar
experience by different parties In other
parts Of the State Of the good work by
this species, or, perhaps, by the closely
allied species, the twice-stabbed ladybug,
Uhiiocorus bipsineris, we append de-
scription
The larvS is black, crossed by light
yellow band about the middle, and is
armed with many soft, long and branch
ing spines. The pupae is formed within
the larval skin, which splits open along
the back Sufficiently to show the ineloeed
chrysalis, which is black, with . few
scattered tufts of hairs. The beetle is
Of shining black color, with red spot
on each wing case, much resembling the
O. Bivxlneris, mentioned above.