SNAILS THAT FEED ON SOOTY MOLD, V 



• Mr. Woglum has found two cocciiiellids in India at, Saliarainpur 

 wiiich attack llio citrus white fly/ wliicli have boon dctorniinod as 

 Verania cardoni Weise and Cryptognatliaflavescens Motsch. In Florida 

 t.liroo ladybirds, Chlloconis hivuJnerus Muls., Cycloneda sanguinea L., 

 and a very small Idack species, Scymnus lyunctatus McIsIl, have been 

 observed to destroy wliite-% eggs and larvae, but have never been found 

 to be effective in controlling the wliite fly to a noticeable degree. 

 Tlio same may bo said of a capsid bug, which attacks adult white 

 flics, and two or three species of hicewing flies or chrysopids. These 

 latter might become of considerable importance were they not so 

 subject to attack by several hymenopterous })arasites which destroy 

 the greater part of them in the pupal stage, and in addition a species 

 wduch destroys their eggs. Several species of spiders are j)rodaceous 

 upon adult white flies; several species of ants destroy the larvae, pupse, 

 and adults, and a species of tlirips destro3^s the larvae and pupae. 

 Tliis last-mentioned insect, described by Dr. II. J. Franklin ^ as 

 Aleurodothrips fascia]) ennis, has, according to the observations of 

 the authors,^ proved more effective than any other of the native insect 

 enemies of the citrus wliito fly. 



Tlie combined attacks of all of these natural enemies, how^ever, have 

 thus far proved of no noticeable benefit in reducing the white flies, 

 with the exception of a few rare instances where the thrips referred 

 to appeared to accomplish some good m supplementing other factors 

 of natural control. 



The testing of all procurable species of ladybirds as possible white- 

 fl}^ enemies would seem to offer the most hopeful field for future work 

 with predatory enemies aside from the Avork of foreign exploration 

 recently undertaken. There are comparatively few species of tliis 

 beneficial group whose tastes are so well known that it would be- 

 safe to predict that they would not attack either the citrus white fly 

 or the cloudy-winged white fly in the egg, the larval, or the pupal 

 stage. 



• SNAILS THAT FEED ON SOOTY MOLD. 



It was observed in 1903, by Mr. F. D. Waite, of Palmetto, Fla., 

 that a snail * was of considerable value in one gi'ove in removing 

 the sooty mold {Meliola sp.) from citrus leaves and fruit. Since then 

 it has been found in many hammock groves in the State of Florida, 

 more especially in ^fanatee and Lee counties. Without artificial 

 protection in the attempt to encourage their multiplication these 

 snails rarely reduce the sooty mold appreciably on more than a few 

 trees at a time. Wlien abundant, however, well-blackened trees may 



1 Journ. Econ. Ent., vol. 4, no. 1, p. 131, February, 1911. 



» Ent. News, vol. 20, pp. 228-231, 1909; Troc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 33, p. 727, 1908. 



» Ent. News, vol. 23, pp. 73-74, 1912. 



* Determined for Dr. E. H. Sellards by Dr. W. H. Dall as BuUmulus dormani. 



