No. 6. 



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



243 



tivating among infested small uees and liad, by slriking the lower 

 brandies, become pretty well covered with larvae; his straw hat be- 

 ing especially well supplied. He left this infested lot for an old 

 aj)ple orchard and there seated himself on the ground, with his back 

 against the nnnk of a tree, and his hat in a convenient crotch. From 

 that hat. larvae by the dozen were getting upon the tree when I was 

 led by some suspicion to examine it! Birds first, insects second, 

 winds next and careless horticulturists last, may be enumerated as 

 the natural methods by which this scale insect spreads from place to 

 place. 



NATURAL P]NEMIES. 



This subject has been touched upon incidentally, on a previous 

 page. The most important of the predatory enemies, are two species 

 of lady-birds and a minute, parasitic wasp. One of these is the 

 twice-stabbed lady-bird. Chilocorus hiriilnerus. which has done such 



Fisr. 4. — Aplidinus fuscipennig, very much enlarged. (From Howard and 

 Marlatt. Bull. :',. n. s.. Div. Ent.. V. S. Drpt. Aijr.) 



good work in Southern California. It fails to do eijually well for 

 us in the East, because our climate is such that it can make only two 

 annual broods and these not ver}- large; in Southern California it 

 breeds nearlv all the time and eats dormant scales bv the hundred 

 before they start breeding in spring. 



The other of the lady-bird® is the Pentilia misella. not much larger 

 than the scale itself and black in color. This seems to breed all sum- 

 mer in considerable numbers and remains on the trees in cracks and 

 crevices all winter; but it is so small and. compared with the scale, 

 breeds so slowly, that practically the farmer gets little benefit. 



The little wasp parasite is Aphelinvs fuscipenn{s^^\i\ch has been 

 also mentioned as occurring in California. It is found in the East 



