El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-06-13

Headgear devised by E. :. G. Titus
they were Immediately exported to
Massachusetts to exercise their NapO-
leonic energy on new field of battle.
Wherever they md the insects needed,
the searchers box them up and send
them by mail or freight to this country.
Some Of them are adult insects, and
they are carefully fed during the jour
ney- Among these is a handsome beetle
called the CalOsOma. Of q shining bronze
color. They are usually sent in pack
ages Of safety-match boxes. one beetle
in each box, with a wisp OF sphagnum
for II to feed on Sometimes one or
two caterpillars are put into the box
TO serve as food Occasionally the bee
ties have been sent especially from
Japan, IN cold storage, for the cold
simply stagnates without killing them.
To see one Of these beetles attack a
caterpillar Of the gypsy moth is a cheer
ing sight for the trainers who are try
ing to save the trees that these moths
destroy by thousands. In their native
countries they have already put their
enemies under their feet
A Precautions Period.
One of the most interesting chapters
IN the history Of this war OF races is
that concerning the battle with the ter
rible san Jose scale insect in California
The orange and lemon groves Of the
Pacific slope were threatened with eX-
tlnctlOn through the attacks of this
scOurge, when a remarkable insect Of
the lady-bird family (Coccinidae) called
the NOVina CARDINALS. was imported
from Australia The moment the lady
bird larvae were liberated in California
they attacked the first scale insects
they met and the orchard in which they
were let out was freed from the enemy
IN short order. Within less than a year
after their arrival the lady-birds had
Riley was able TO report that the scale
insect was practically no longer a
factor to be considered in the cultiva-
ton Of oranges and lemons in Cali
fornia." Everybody has seen ladv-bfrfs
Of some species They are little round
shlning-bac1ed creatures. marked with
dots and often beautifully cOlored. ana
all Of them are enemies TO nOxiO1Is in
sects Of one kind or another, so that
they should never be destroyed.
Later on, when the orange and lemon
trees IN Portugal were threatened with
destruction by scale insects that had
found their way to the continent from
the azores, Australian lady-birds from
California were sent to Portugal. Out
OF a shipment Of so, only five remained
alive But they were good fighters. A
larger shipment was subsequently sent
and the little warriors were scattered
among the gardens and orchards of
Portugal They marched to victory as
trlumphantly as they had done in CALI
Iornia- and now Portugal is practically
free from the pest
In this country at present the war
OF the insects is directed mainly against
the gypsy and brown-tail moths
Among the enemies of these moths are
various species Of beetles bugs and
flies Many of them are cultivated
from the eggs that they lay in the bod
les Of their enemies
Many devices have to be resorted TO
In order to preserve the useful species
while destroying the nOXiOus ones
Those who are interested in these de-
tails viii find much information in
bulletin No. 81 OF the bureau of en-
tomology- The handling OF the cater