lo Aug.. 191 :?.] 



Dc:ifr/icti':'C Scalt Insects. 



48- 



DESTliUCTIVE SCALE INSEUTS. 



Mealy Bugs (Dactvlopius) Destroyed by Lacewings (Chrysopa). 



I\\ C. /■'rciic/i. iiiii/i'r. Ac////i; Cio: cniiiui't Eiitoniologisf . 



Some time, m\- atten- 

 tion was drawn to some 

 fine nati\e cherry trees 

 ( ExocarjH)s eupressifor- 

 'ii-js), which were infested 

 witli white mealy-look- 

 ing insects. On exam- 

 ination I lound th-e 

 trunks, stems, and 

 liranches to be simply 

 covered with mealy-bugs. 

 The trunks were almost 

 perfectly white, and in 

 the distance looked as if 

 a snowstorm had covered 

 •"hem. (Seeillustrations I 

 and 3.) It was one of the 

 worst infestations of 

 mealv bug I have seen. 

 The leaves of the trees 

 were dying owing to 

 the insects sucking out 

 the sap. 



Wishing to send a 

 few perfect specimens 

 of the scales to a 

 siJecialist for naming, 



mealy bugs on branches and leaves of 

 nativ^e cherry tree. 



I again visited the localitv a few weeks later, and was 

 surj^ri.sed to find that the larvae of the lacewings had 

 been at work, and partly destroyed everv scale; in 

 fact. I was unable to obtain a single perfect insect. 



Cocoons of the lacewings (illustration 2) were in 

 dozens over the tree, showing that the larvae had 

 pupated after finishing their u.seful work. Tt is the 

 larvae, which have strong jaws, that destrov such large 

 numbers of ai)hids 

 and scale insects. 

 The fully-grown 



lacewings ha\"e 



beautiful greenish 

 veined, gauzv wings, 

 and golden coloured 

 eyes. At times, 



lacewin2:s are ex- 

 ceeding! v plentiful. 



lacewings (after froggatt;. 



1. Full gn;wn 2. Larva. I'Jlagnified). 



