Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-05-10

last fall that the first ladybugs reached
this end Of the State. These were colon
lied in the orchards of Mr.. j. W. Volts
kill, in this city, where they were kept
under cover until very recently. Ihey
are now ready for distribution to the
orchardists of this section, and small
colonies are being sent out.
All the above facts are history, and all
the facts have appeared in these columns
from time to time during the progress OF
these efforts to do the scale to death.
The following is news, none OF which has
heretofore appeared in print:
About the LIST of April two new colo
MES OF the bug-eaters were received from
Australia. One, consisting OF two boxes,
was placed in the trees of Colonel j. IL.
Dobbins, of San Gabriel, and the other,
of four boxes, was sent to Mr.. Chapman,
above San Gabriel. These, according to
the directions of the Government Off
GERS, instead OF being kept Gagged until
they should multiply into strong col
ony, were placed at once in the open, to
see how they might behave when left to
their own way in their new abode.
It was to learn this that
a HERALD reporter yesterday made a
visit of inspection to the Dobbins orchard.
He found the owner busily engaged
among the trees, and at once made
known his wishes. Mr.. Dobbins ex-
pressed his pleasure at being able to aid
the HERALD in its mission, and proceeded
10 inform the reporter of the progress his
colony of ladybugs are making. Some
six weeks ago these bugs were placed in
the trees in the open. The boxes in
which they come across the ocean were
opened, the bugs left to work their own
sweet will. Mr.. Dobbins has watched
them carefully and was ready to show
the HERALD man just what they are do
lug. In thirty days from the time they
were released, the little bug-eater had
gone through all his Transforms
tions. He now exists in all
his Protean forms among the
trees. Here are the eggs await
the action of the sun to hatch them into
life. Here are the larvae just come to life,
and then the fun begins. The mother
ladyb usually lays her eggs right in
the thick of a colony of the icerya, on the
back of bug more frequently than else
where. just as soon as life is evolved
the work of destruction begins. The
ladybug is born hungry. He is as vora-
cious as hog. An orchardist, in taking
some of the Larvae out to his ranch the
other day, forgot to take food for them
on the way, and when he reached home
the colony was more than decimated.
Half the bugs had eaten the other half.
The ladybug is lusty, fat, prosperous
gel tleman, who looks as if he got three
square meals a day, wet or dry.
For some ten days he lives like
fighting cock at the expense OF
the scale, then he sticks fast to the tree
and goes asleep in the pupa state. There
he sleeps off his big meal, and finally
energies from his shell with a pair of
wings. He is then small ladybug, less
in size than OUTS of the two stabs, CT a
darkish red color. His days in this state
are few, but merry. The ladybug flies
from tree to tree, and he is good flyer.
In due course the female lays about 200
eggs, and then it dies. These eggs in
few days become 200 vigorous bug-eaters,
which devour hundreds of scalebugs and
thousands Of their eggs for the ten days
or 80 during which their hunger
lasts. From two trees they have
spread to many dozens of trees. The
idea has been that it takes some four
months for her bug ladyship to become
materfamilias. Mr.. Dobbins thinks this
mistake. He Is sure it takes only
about thirty days. The scale multiplies
very rapidly, but the ladybug beats him.
Colonel Dobbins is fully sure that the
days of the pest are numbered. The
ladybug is as lively, as tireless as the
pest. He works day and night. He
finds the food he is alter, no matter
where it is. 1t is now but matter OF
very short time until the orchards shall
be as clean as ever they were, if this
good work is kept up. The trouble is to
get enough OF the bugs. There ought
to be procured at once 1000 colonies
from Australia for distribution in this
county. Get the sladybugs, and they
will get the scale bug. A home para
site has been developed which is de-
stroying the red scale as vigorously as
the imported fellow is doing for the
white pest. The orchardists at last see
sure deliverance from their foe, and
are planting new orchards at rapid
pace. At Pomona 10000 new trees
have been planted this year. At Rialto
10000 young trees have been planted.
Hon. J. DeBsrth Shorb is preparing now
to plant $4,000 trees. Five thousand OF
these will be in the ground this summer.
and the other moiety will be set out next