CHAPTER II 



BENEFICIAL INSECTS, PREDACEOUS AND PARASITIC 

 Ladybird-beetles 



After his strawberries have been ruined by the strawberry 

 weevil, the garden truck by cutworms, the wheat despoiled by the 

 Hessian fly, the melon-patch fallen a prey to plant-lice, and the 

 .fruit crop has been a failure on account of the codling moth, plum 

 curculio, and San Jose scale, it is scarcely surprising that the 

 farmer does as one of my acquaintances did and " orders the hands 

 tp kill everything that crawls." 



But such would be entirely too heroic a measure, and if strictly 

 adhered to the remedy would be as bad as the disease, for it would 

 mean not only useless labor, but the destruction of the most effect- 

 ive means whereby insect pests are held in check. We pride 

 ourselves and justly that with our spray pumps and deadly 

 sprays many crops can be effectually protected; but were it not 

 for those other insects which feed upon these injurious forms, 

 what an enormous, and, in some instances, futile task it would be ! 



Among these beneficial insects the little ladybird-beetles of 

 the family Coccinellidce are entitled to be in the first rank. 

 Almost all these beetles and larvse feed upon plant-lice and scale 

 insects. Of such value are those feeding upon scale insects 

 that not many years ago several Australian species were imported 

 into California that they might prey upon the San Jose and other 

 scales. One of these was eminently successful and almost com- 

 pletely destroyed the cottony cushion-scale. 



Of those feeding upon plant-lice, one of the most common 

 is the Nine-spotted Ladybird (Coccinellanovemnotata). This 

 beetle is about one-fourth of an inch long, with black head and 

 body. The wing-covers are orange-yellow marked with nine 

 black spots four on each side and one on the central suture. 

 The larva has been fancied to resemble a miniature alligator; 

 it is nearly twice as long as wide, almost black, marked with 

 bluish and orange spots, and has long legs, which carry it around 

 quite rapidly. The beetles hibernate during the winter and 



8 



