Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-29
LADY BIRDS GALORE.
Secretary Lelong Receives a Lar
G,,o0fx-

Secretary Lelong Receives a Large
Supply.
The San Francisco Chronicle of Sun.
day says:
Secretary Lelong of the state board oi
horticulture, has received by the
steamer Alameda, from Australia, a
large consignment of lady birds from
Prof. Albert Koebele. who has for some
time been carrying on an investigation
into the various parasite enemies of the
insect pests now doing damage in this
state. Several previous shipments of
these same varieties of lady birds haye
been made, but, owing to unforeseen con-
tingencies occurring on shipboard NEARLY
all the insects were dead on arrival and
the remainder so feeble that they were
of no use. The present shipment con-
sists mostly of the orchus chaly ybeus, a
beautifully metallic colored insect,
whose special province is the destruc-
tion of the aspidiotus corcinella, or San
Jose scale. There are upward of 5000
of the lady birds, and they are all in the
liveliest possible condition. Secretary
Lelong will at once distribute them in
infected localities, and measures will be
taken to propagate them for introduce
ton wherever this variety of scale ex-
lists. AS horticulturists know, this is
one of the worst and most widespread
pests in the state, and the successful in
PRODUCTION of an enemy to it will be
gladly welcomed.
Fully as important is the receipt for
the first time in this country of living
specimens and cocoons of the thalpo.
chares cocciphags, moth which is the
deadly enemy of the black scale-for
which pest, until the present time, no
remedy has been found. The caterpillar
of the thalpochares feeds greedily upon,
this scale, and subsequently makes it's
cocoon upon the limb of the infected
tree. The process of reproduction goes
on over and over again until the scale is
entirely driven away, when the moth
migrates to other infected localities or
dies out entirely. The introduction of
this parasite means an annual saving OF
between 81 and So for each properly
cared-for olive tree in the state, which is
an immense amount in the aggregate,
while for the orange growers located near
the coast it means the salvation of their
groves from complete destruction.
Besides the insects already mentioned
there were received number of the
verania freuata and the halyza galbula,
lady birds which are destructive of other
forms of pests than those referred to.
Like the other parasites, they all ar
rived in the best condition, and will be
at once liberated to commence their
good work.
To correct any misunderstanding, it
should be explained that Mr.. Koebele is
working under the joint direction of the
national department. of agriculture and
the California state board of horticul-
ture. From the former he receives his
salary and from the latter his expenses,
and the state board receives the bulk of
the parisates sent hither, and distributes
them where they are most needed. This
arrangement was entered into at the re-
quest of the California officials, as the
United States laws did not permit of the
expenditure of money for such purposes
in foreign lands, and our Legislature ap-
propriated $4,000 for the purpose of the
Investigation.