524 



THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



The larva is elongate, color yellowish gray, head shining black, pro- 

 vided with spines, as is the whole body. There is a light transverse 

 band on the anterior third of the dorsum. 



This ladybird inhabits the whole of Europe and also occurs in 

 northern Asia. According to Dr. Silvestri it feeds in both the adult and 

 larval state on various scale insects. In Italy its principal hosts are 

 PJiilipiyia olece, PoUinia poUeni, Aspidiohis hetulce and various armored 

 scales, among "them being the peach or mulberry scale, Diaspis penta- 

 gona. Of its life history Dr. Silvestri says that the hibernating quar- 

 ters are deserted on the first warm days of spring and the beetle runs 

 about on the twigs in search of food. The female soon commences to 

 deposit eggs and lays in all about two hundred. They are ellipsoidal, 

 yellow in color, and placed preferably under the shields of Saissetia 

 olecE or under the scales of the Diaspinfe. In four to eight days after 

 deposition the larv^ hatch from the eggs. They are extremely vora- 

 cious, so much so that during their brief period of existence they are 

 able to devour several thousand eggs of scale insects. They also feed 

 upon honeydew to some extent. Pupation takes place on the leaves and 

 twigs and this stage lasts eight to ten days. In Italy there are three 

 generations per year. In Europe it is attacked by several insect 

 enemies, among them being the Chalcidoid parasites, Homalotylus 

 flaminius (Dalm.) and TetrasticJms epilachnce (Giard.). The eggs are 

 also destroyed by mites. 



Fig. 106. — Adult of Exochomus -'i-pustulattis. (After 

 Silvestri, Dispense di Entomologia Agraria.) 



Approximately seven hundred specimens of this species were colonized 

 at Fair Oaks, Sacramento County, during the period from July 21st 

 to September 17th. They were placed in an orchard consisting of 

 lemon, orange and olive trees, the citrus being infested with Coccus 

 citricola Campb., and the olives with Saissetia olecB Bern. These were 

 liberated under ideal conditions and on a recent trip of investigation 

 were found to be breeding in the orchards. 



Exochomus quadripustulat us (L.), the other species introduced from 

 Italy, is considerably larger than C. hipustulatus, of the same general 

 color, but has four spots on each elytron, making the color pattern quite 



