28 THE FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGIST 
groves, but the aphids attack only the heads and consequently 
this plant is not an important host in the early part of the win- 
ter when few heads have appeared. In many cases grapefruit 
has been heavily infested this year. In most cases, however, it 
was near heavily infested oranges from which the aphids were 
being driven by the maturing of the foliage. 
In May and June the Experiment Station received from the 
California Experiment Station two shipments of a lady-beetle 
(Leis sp.) which was originally brought from China. This lady- 
beetle is much larger than any native species. The adult fe- 
male is 5/16 of an inch wide and nearly %% inches long. The 
ground color is red. There are thirteen round black spots on 
the elatra and a larger one on the thorax. The beetle’s appe- 
tite for aphids is in proportion to her size. Sometimes as many 
as two hundred aphids are eaten in a day. But our hopes for 
this beetle were chiefly that it might be less susceptible to the 
fungous and bacterial diseases which are such a large factor in 
checking the multiplication of our native species. Experience 
in breeding these beetles in the laboratory at Lake Alfred 
would seem to justify this hope. Altho many have died of dis- 
eases, the proportion is distinctly smaller than in the case of 
the blood red lady-beetle, the most common of our native species 
in aphid colonies. 
The original small number of these beetles brought to Flor- 
ida has increased until we now have several hundred on hand 
and have liberated as many more in groves scattered over the 
state. While some of the early colonies liberated seem to have 
died out, (due apparently to scarcity of food) others seem to be 
prospering, and in at least one grove the beetles have completed 
a full generation in the field, thus demonstrating their ability 
to live out of doors in Florida, at least during the summer time. 
From the standpoint of the food supply the summer is the most 
unfavorable season, as avhids are scarce. 
As to the outlook for the future, the aphids are much more 
numerous in our groves than they were a year ago at this time. 
Much will depend upon the weather during the next five months. 
Unless their numbers are greatly diminished by dry or cold 
weather throwing the trees into complete dormancy during 
the fall or winter, the prospect is for another heavy infestation 
next spring. 
