Entomology. 405 



marked with yellow or red. Most of these latter forms feed on scale 

 insects, while those with the black spots live mostly upon plant lice. 



N^ever has the true worth of these insects been better shown than 

 by the persistent way in which they have met the invasion of the San 

 Jose scale. For a time it seemed as if the fruit-grower was to be obliged 

 to do battle with this pest singlehanded, but old Mother l^ature always 

 comes to his assistance in such cases after a time, and this instance was no 

 exception. Hardly had the San Jose scale commenced to get a start in 

 the east before it was attacked both by internal parasites and the pre- 

 daceous Lady-bird beetles. Of the latte, but two species are commonly 

 found on scale infested trees in the east. 



The most conspicuous of these is the Twice-stabbed Lady-bird, 

 Chilocorus bivulnerus, which receives its name from the two blood-red 

 spots on its wing covers. This is not usually as numerous as the species 

 next mentioned, but is much larger and will thus consume more scales. 

 In one orchard which 1 recently examined, where three thousand trees 

 had been removed on account of scale, a block of several hundred five- 

 year peach trees, which eighteen months ago were badly infested with the 

 San Jose scale, is now practically free from it and it is with difficulty 

 that a scale is found. This has been almose entirely due to the good 

 work done by the Twice-stabbed Lady-birds, which have been very 

 numerous in the orchard and Avere found in it this year very early in 

 the spring, before most other insects had left their winter quarters. This 

 species is widely distributed and is common in almost every orchard. 



Even more efficient are the little black beetles, known as Pentilia 

 misella. They are but a sixteenth of an inch in length and are not found 

 in all parts of this state, at least they have not been noted in all of our 

 scale infested orchards, though widely distributed throughout the east, 

 but when they do occur they soon become exceedingly numerous. Both 

 larvae and adults of this and tlie last species feed upon the scales, the 

 beetles seeming to prefer the adult female scales. Where the scale has 

 been reduced by spraying these little beetles are very useful in extermina- 

 ting those scales remaining; for wdien the scales were numerous the beetles 

 iilso became plentiful, but were not destroyed to any extent by the 

 spraying, so that a large number of them are Avaiting to pounce upon the 

 surviving scales. In such instances I have several times found trees in 



