The record-union., 1891-02-28

effort be made to coloniZe this parasite up
on the true red scale, A spidiotas durtsl.tii;
but in a recent visit to the Villa grove /
had conclusive proof that this will be- i'm
possible, or at least OF practical benefit
Mr.. Cogswel called my attention to q
different scale hehad noticed upon lime
tree near the hotel. This proved to be 4 !.
ouraatii, and | advised the destruction of
the infested trees, as this scale would be a
more serious pest to contend with; for
nothing but fumigation with hydrocyanic
| acid gas has been of any avail against it. /
cannot account for its appearance there
unless it has been taken upon an orange
by a visitor to the hotel and the infested
peel thrown under or onto the lime tree.
HOW TO CoLoNIZE THE PARASITE.
The colonization of this parasite will not
be as satisfactory 10 the orange-growers
as was that of the VeddliG cardinals. be-
cause we cannot see the larva pick up the
scale and deyour it however, if they are
introduced in an orange grove infested
with yellow scale, the beneficial results
Will be certain even if not Immediately
observable, as was the case with the We
datia. Branches should be obtained with
scale-infeSted leaves from an orchard
known to contain parasites in numbers.
This can be ascertained by placing few
infested leaves in a white paper box, clos
ing them up tightly with n cover; and
after few days the box and leaves should
be examined with magnifying glass
this is really necessary, for even with
good eyesight they will be overlooked, as
they are so very minute-if numbers are
found, branches should be taken, and the
ends placed in boxes containing wet
sand or soil: this will keep the leaves
fresh and allow the parasites to de-
yelop aud hatch. AS the branches dry
up, others can be procured and the
operation repeated. The boxes should he
placed under the trees in the shade, or be
secured in the branches. and so located in
the orchard that the prevailing summer
winds may aid materially in their distr-
button.
GOLDEN CHALCID.
New species. (Unnamed.) This new
parasite is also working on the yellow
scale, and is indeed very promising. 1t
was first observed in Duarte: but re-
Gently | received numerous specimens
from an orchard near the Stoneinan
tract, San Gabriel, also from an orchard
IN Alhambra. 1t is very Interesting to
know that from the infested branches re-
ceived from the orchards none of the
C0ceophdgus ctt11'euS were hatched, show
ing that this newer species = is working
by itself upon the scale III those districts.
This parasite is much larger than the
other, and of bright golden-yellow
color.
Some of the internal parasites have,
like the scales they attack, but one gener-
alton each year. This is the case with the
one upon the black scale, LccdniuNs oIeCe
Seventy-five per cent. of these scales are
annually destroyed by parasite, Dill
ophOgasteT CdIyo1mica, Howard. This
is great check to what would other
wise prove very destructive
scale; but the parasite only deposits
eggs in the mature scales and Just about
the time the latter contains eggs, so that
the % per cent. that escape the parasites
are sufficient to again infest the tree, from
the fact that each scale contains from 7G0
to LOCO eggs. But it viii be fully ten
months before the scales are developed
enough to be attacked by the Dilopho-
CASTER. This is not the case with the
parasite OF the yellow scale. They are
breeding all the time. / have found them
every month i'll the year; and half
grown yellow scale is ample food to de-
velop and mature a parasite.
*Named "citrinus" after the 4dspidiotus
citrinuS, or yellow scale, upon which it preys.