﻿268 POMONA COLLEGE JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGY 



They are lemon yellow, oval, and about .Snim. long. They are deposited 

 separately over and among the mealy bug egg-masses. 



At the present date this insect is doing most excellent work. It has 

 practically cleaned up large areas of the infested orchards, and is multiplying 

 in countless numbers. 



Adult — (Fig. 107 A) — Form elongate-oval. Entire body pubescent. 

 Color of head, prothorax, abdomen, and posterior tips of the elytra are sal- 

 mon-red ; the remainder of the body is black. Length, 5 mm. ; width, 3 mm. 

 Head, very small. Eyes, coarsely faceted and black. Antennae, short and 

 hairy. Mandibles, bifid at tip. Prothorax, slightly narrower than mesothorax 

 and metathorax, not extending to cover head. Mesothorax and metathorax 

 nearly equal in width. Coxae not approximate. Trochanter small and narrow. 

 Femur stout and co-equal with tibia, which is much narrower. Tarsus 

 three-articled. Claws bifid. 



Adults appear in goodly numbers throughout the entire year, but are 

 more numerous in the Spring than at any other time, this being the egg- 

 laying season. They are very active, and fly a great deal. When disturbed 

 they immediately take to wing or drop to the ground and fly or rapidly 

 crawl away. In our spraying work we noticed that they rapidly left the 

 tree before any harm was done to them by the solutions. 



This insect was introduced into this county by Mr. P. E. Smith during 

 his year as commissioner in 1909, from San Diego County. They did not 

 show up very well until in the Fall of that year, when they appeared in con- 

 siderable numbers. Since then every opportunity has been given to them. 

 They are set aside in a badly infested orchard away from sprays and fumiga- 

 tion and close watch kept of their work and habits. Breeding cages have been 

 built to aid in their distribution. In the badly infected orchard spoken of, 

 several rows are now being sprayed (these rows happen to be where few of the 

 beetles are working) to measure the efficiency of the parasites with that 

 of sprays. This work shall be continued until late in the Winter and the 

 results carefully noted. Because the mealy bugs works on house plants, in 

 nurseries, on ornamental and even the mountain trees in our canyons, it is 

 absolutely necessary that we have an eiTectual parasite for it, and it is 

 my belief that the greatest good is to come from this beetle, for it is now 

 doing a wonderful work in the orchards, and is rapidly spreading over the 

 couptry. 



Very little literature is obtainable on this insect {Cryptolacmiis mon- 

 twiizieri Mul.) so I present herewith all at hand: 



"Cryptolacmiis niontrouaeri (The latter name is usually spelled nion- 

 trouzieri). This is another of the Australian Coccinellidae. It is the natural 

 enemy of the mealy bug. It has been introduced into the Hawaiian Islands, 

 where this pest was so bad in the cofTee plantations as to almost threaten 

 the total destruction of the crop, and it has done such good work that the 

 pest has been practically cleaned out. Successful efforts have also been made 

 to establish it in the cofTee plantations of Central America, where the mealy 



