58 JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY 



dorniant condition of "whitefly" in Florida at this season and 

 also to the severe weather of that winter, both the beetles and 

 the ProspaUella failed to survive. 



With proper preparation of a stock of the insect food for 

 the parasites, and with proper regulation of teinperatnre and 

 otlier conditions, Mr. Woginni thinks that another trial at im- 

 poi'tation cduld lie caniiMl to a successful conclusion. 



W. G. Brewster. 



THE PURPLE SCALE (LEPID0SAPHE8 BECKIl) 



H. J. QUALE 



Bull. No. 226, College of Agr. Univ. Cal. Publications 



In this bulletin a history of the purple scale is given. This 

 scale was introduced into California in 1888 or 1889. P"'roni all 

 indications it came directly from Florida with a shipment of 

 trees. 



Some of the leading entomologists of the state knew that 

 the Florida stock was infected with the purple scab, but they 

 had reason to believe that it was harmless in this climate. The 

 result of this has been that at present the purple scale occurs 

 in the following counties of California: San Diego, Orange, 

 Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara. The reason that it 

 does not occur in some of the other counties may be due to the 

 rigid (piarantine tliat has prevailed against the scale in those 

 sections. 



From an economic standpoint the purple scale ranks third. 

 Its distribution is not so wide as the black, red, and yellow, but 

 wlien it does occur it is the most serious of all, because it 

 becomes so incrusted on the leaf, branch, and fruit which it 

 attacks, that it yields less to treatment. 



The purple scale in this country is almost entirely a fruit 

 insect. It rarely attacks common trees or shrulis growing in the 

 vicinity of citrus trees. Tlie eggs are oval in shape, al)out .25 

 mm. long. The larva is flat and oval, about .78 mm. long. It 

 usually wanders over tlie plant for a time before coming to 



