INSECT CONTROL 299 



and whenever an outbreak of the scale occurs, an army of 

 the little beetles is despatched to deal with the trouble. 

 The chief anxiety of the State entomologists is how to 

 keep a sufficient supply of the scale insects alive where- 

 with to feed their charges. 



Novius has also been successfully introduced into 

 Portugal, Italy, Syria, France, Egypt, and Hawaii. The 

 fact that this ladybird only feeds on the cottony cushion 

 scale and closely allied forms was, however, overlooked 

 by the Florida citrus growers. Impressed by the success 

 of the venture in California, the Southern State was 

 anxious to try the mettle of Novius cardinalis on some 

 other scale insects, and in due course a shipment of the 

 little beetle arrived, together with some cottony cushion 

 scales as food for the journey. On arrival, the beetles and 

 their food were liberated in an orange grove, with the 

 result that the ladybirds died, and the cottony cushion 

 scale spread and flourished to such an extent that it took 

 several years and considerable expenditure before the pest 

 was eventually subdued. 



The outstanding success of the importation of Novius 

 may be ascribed to the fact that the beetle is much more 

 active than its prey, which remains stationary for the 

 greater part of its life; it has two broods to every one 

 of the scale insect, and, strangest of all, it appears to have 

 no enemies of its own. 



The good work of the ladybird has become an historical 

 event in the annals of applied entomology, and though 

 much effort and many dollars have been expended on similar 

 importations, often, be it said, with very satisfactory results, 

 yet the fact remains that in no other case has the work been 

 duplicated, in that no other single natural enemy has been 

 able to control an important pest in the land of its adoption. 

 Nevertheless, Novius cardinalis gave a distinct fillip to the 

 science of natural control of insect pests in America. 



Another most serious pest of fruit trees in America is 



