INSECTS INJURIOUS TO AGRICULTURE 411 



established in the north did not succeed. But, on the other hand, col- 

 onies installed in the Georgia orchards and other southern states rapidly 

 spread, naturalized themselves, and still fill a useful role in attacking 

 the San Jose scale. However this may be, this importation can never 

 be compared to that of Novius cardinalis. Mr. Marlatt himself states 

 that this insect does not seem to have found in America, up to the 

 present time at least, conditions as favorable to its development as in 

 its native country. Moreover, the time when it was introduced coin- 

 cided with the period of employment especially of the lime-sulfur-salt 

 wash, and obviously the use of such an efficacious remedy should not 

 be interrupted to allow the ladybird to spread. 



Scutellista cyanea. — The success gained by beneficial parasites, 

 properly speaking, is at present rare and less startling than those which 

 the predaceous insects, and particularly ladybirds, have brought about. 

 An especial rank, however, should be given to a Hymenopterous parasite 

 of the family Chalcididae, Scutellista cyanea Motsch., which is among 

 the most useful of the American importations. It was first described 

 from Ceylon, where it was found attacking parasites of the coffee scale. 

 Then it was found again by Berlese in Italy, where it attacked the wax 

 scale of oranges and other plants. 



Howard, with the help of Berlese, tried in 1898 to introduce it into 

 Florida and Louisiana, to combat the wax scale, injurious in that part 

 of the country. This first attempt at acclimatization failed. In the 

 meantime, Lounsbury, State Entomologist at the Cape of Good Hope, 

 drew attention to this parasite as one of the most efficacious enemies of 

 the black scale of the olive. The olive scale is not abundant enough 

 at the Cape to be considered as injurious, and the damage which it 

 does is always less than in America and particularly in California. On 

 this account, and considering Scutellista to be the cause, the State Board 

 of Horticulture of California, always looking for new assistance of 

 this kind, tried to get this parasite. In 1900-01, branches carrying 

 parasitized black scale were sent from the Cape to California. Some 

 parasites were obtained by breeding from these different sendings, but 

 their number was not sufficient to undertake a rearing in the large 

 cage constructed around the tree infested by scales, but, in 1902, numer- 

 ous colonies were sent into all the districts of the State of California 

 where the black scale was injurious. Since 1903, numerous orchards 

 have been found which have been practically cleaned of the black scale 

 by this parasite. It may be affirmed that this introduction is one of the 

 most fortunate ones for fruit growers in California. 11 



The Struggle in America, by means of Parasites, against the Gipsy 



11 The acclimatization of this insect appears also to have been brought about 

 in Australia, where it was introduced in 1904, and in Hawaii, where it was 

 imported in 1905. Mr. Lafont has lately announced the presence of this insect 

 in France, where he considers it a very efficacious parasite of the black scale. 



