478 Report op the Entomologists of the 



In the case of currants and gooseberries, it will sometimes be 

 found practical to pick off and destroy the leaves which are first 

 infested in the spring. 



NATURAL ENEMIES OF PLANT LICE. 



Plant lice are preyed upon by both predaceous and parasitic 

 insects. These insects may be classed among those friendly to 

 the farmer, because of the good they do by checking the increase 

 of noxious species. 



Among the most prominent of the predaceous insects which 

 feed upon plant-lice are the lady bird beetles. Both the larvae and 

 mature insects devour the lice. These insects will always be 

 found where plant-lice are abundant. The following are among 

 the species observed during the past season : 



Predaceous Insects. 



Anatis ocellata Linn. {15-punctata Oliv.). — This insect undoubt- 

 edly feeds on various species of plant lice. Although common on 

 the currant bushes, the writer found it much more common dur- 

 ing the past year upon the plum trees. During the latter part of 

 May and until the middle of July, the insects could be found 

 upon the trees in all stages of development. At Plate XXVI, 

 fig. 7, the larva is shown natural size and enlarged, the pupa at 

 Fig, 8 and the mature insect, natural size, at Fig. 10. Fig. 9 is 

 from a photograph of a plum with one of the pupse attached. 

 These pupae do not seriously injure the fruit. The skin of the 

 plum is not broken, as the larva, when about to pupate, attaches 

 itself to the fruit merely by a. gummy secretion from the tip of the 

 abdomen. 



There are a number of other species of lady-bird beetles which 

 attack both plum and currant plant lice. The following are 

 among those which were observed as being most common last 

 season: The nine-spotted lady-bird beetle, Coccinella 9-notata 

 Hbst.; the two spotted lady-bird beetle, Adalia hi-ptinctata Linn.; 

 8 small reddish brown oi- brick rpd sppoios ha^ing a black dot in 



