1904 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 37 



cases, to import the insects which prey upon the pest in its foreign home. 

 There have been two or three signal successes in this direction. The first and 

 best known was the importation of the Australian lady-bird Vedalia cardi- 

 nalis for the purpose of preying upon the Fluted or Cottony Cushion Scale 

 of the orange groves of Southern California. After a careful study it was 

 found that this scale had come from Australia and there it is not particularly 

 destructive. There it is preyed upon by several predaceous insects, and it 

 was thought advisable to import these and to place them among the infested 

 orange groves. One of these lady-birds soon increased rapidly in numbers, 

 because ft preyed upon the Cottony Cushion Scale, and saved the orange 

 groves. 



The second successful case not so well-known is that of the South African 

 parasite of the Black Scale, Lecanium olece, which infests the olive and 

 orange trees of California. This parasite known as Scutellhta cyanea, a spe- 

 cies of fly, was imported from South Africa, first to Louisiana, afterwards to 

 .California, where it has done wonderful work against the Black Scale. The 

 larva of Scutellista feeds entirely on the eggs of the scale, and a study of its 

 habits shows that it is admirably adapted for the control of the Scale. Its 

 resting period occurs when the Black Scale is resting in the larval stage; 

 consequently the absence of the food supply of eggs at this time does not in- 

 terfere with its development. The fly has now become widely spread, and 

 ti3e olive and citron orchards have been fairly well cleared of the scale which 

 I'lreatened their destruction. Arrangements are now made for the breeding 

 01 the Scutellista at Los Angeles, and for the distribution of colonies to in- 

 fested ranches. 



The third case of importation is that of the Chinese Lady-bird Chilocorus 

 similis, for the control of the San Jose Scale. It will be remembered that 

 Mr. C. L. Marlatt, Assistant Entomologist at Washington, was despatched 

 to Japan and China about three years ago to learn more about the habits 

 and distribution of the San Jose Scale in those countries. After a careful 

 survey of many parts of Japan, Mr. Marlatt was satisfied that Japan was not 

 the original home of the scale. He proceeded to China, and in the Pekin 

 markets he found scale readily on fruit raised in the region south of the 

 f»reat Wall. Further examination revealed several forms which preyed up- 

 on the scale and kept it in check. One of these predaceous forms was a lady 

 bird, and this one appeared to be doing most to control it. He sent a large 

 number back to Washington, but unfortunately only a few survived. By 

 careful breeding, however, these multiplied, and in time small supplies were 

 sent to different States for liberation in orchards infested with the San Jose 

 Scale. Up to the present time the Lady-birds have not done well, with the 

 fxception of those sent to some Georgia orchards. 



The fourth and last experiment of this nature to which I shall refer is the 

 recent introduction of a Guatemalan ant, called the Kelep, to prey upon the 

 ( otton-BoU-Weevil of the cotton plantations of the South. This species of 

 ant was discovered in Guatemala, where it "attacks and kills the adult boll- 

 weevil thus permitting the regular harvesting of a crop of cotton, even under 

 conditions favorable to the weevil. It is carnivorous and predaceous; it in- 

 jures no form of vegetation and takes nothing from the cotton plant except 

 the nectar secreted for it on the leaves and floral envelopes." It stings and 

 paralyzes the weevil and frequently tears the weevil to pieces. Colonies of 

 +his ant have been established in Texas, but recent reports are not encourag- 

 ing. 



It will be seen, therefore, that we can already point to some cases of suc- 

 cegsful application of predaceous and parasitic insects to the control of inju- 



