CHAPTER FORTY-ONE 



SCALE INSECTS 



Peculiarities 

 of Coccidae 



I. SCALE INSECTS and mealy bugs, technically known 

 as Coccidae, constitute a group of Hemipterous insects, 



source of 

 dye 



From Brehm's " Tkierleben" 



FIG. IOQ. The cochineal insect : a, colony of the insects on a prickly pear plant; 



b, male ; c, female. 



but differ in remarkable ways from the other members 

 of the order. From ancient times it was customary to 

 utilize the coloring matter obtainable from certain 

 small round objects found on oak trees in the region 

 Kermesasa of the Mediterranean. They were regarded as berries 

 (kokkos), or called by the Arabic name kermes. For 

 many centuries the opinion that these objects were of 

 vegetable origin prevailed, but in 1551 Quinqueran de 

 Beaujeu published a book on the productions of Pro- 

 vence (France), in which he clearly explained that they 

 were insects. The supposed berries, said he, were the 

 female insects, which produced innumerable very 

 minute "worms." The latter settled on the twigs, and 

 grew into berrylike adults. With the discovery of 

 Mexico, came the report by Francisco Hernandez and 

 others that on the tuna, or prickly pear, existed a new 

 sort of coccus, much to be preferred as a source of 

 red dye. This, which came to be known as the cochi- 



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