228 



Insect Pests. 



hatched out in the first week in June, and gave rise to mature 

 females in August, which deposited eggs that hatched out in 

 September. The majority of these were fully developed females by 

 the 20th of October, and from the eggs laid by these there sprung 

 larva 1 , which I also found on the bushes in Xovember. It thus 

 seems that in Kent, and probably elsewhere, there may be as many 

 as three broods of this Coccid, but usually there is only one brood. 



The insect passes the winter in the full grown larval stage, scarcely 

 visible to the naked eye and rarely in the egg stage (5) 

 These larva' have a distinct reddish hue in the spring. 

 Unlike the previous species, the larvre are not affected by light. 



Those observed seemed very fond 

 of wandering about amongst the 

 green alga? on the bushes, with 

 which many were covered. The 

 male is quite unknown, the species 

 presumably breeding entirely 

 asexually. 



The gooseberry is attacked just 

 as much as the currant, and especi- 

 ally bushes beneath standard fruit 

 trees. This scale has been recorded 

 from most parts of England, and I 

 have observed it in north Wales. 



Xewstead (1) is of opinion that 

 it is merely a variety of Lccanium 

 persiccv (Geoffrey). 



Curtis (4) refers to this insect as Lccanium hesperidum, merely 

 more elongated forms due, according to Xewstead, to the exigency of 

 the inserts on the twigs. 



One noticeable feature in this insect is that very distinct white 

 scars remain for a considerable time on the bushes the dead insects 

 are removed from (Fig. 172). 



NATURAL ENEMIES. 



Xumerous natural enemies prey upon these Currant Coccida 1 ; of 

 these by far the most important are Ladybird Beetles (Coccindlidcc), 

 but, unfortunately, in Britain we have few, if any, that help us in this 

 respect. The importation of foreign Ladybirds has been undertaken 

 (5 and 6) with the hope of acclimatising some scale-feeding species in 

 this country. Results with the Vcdalia cardinalis and the Orange 

 Scale (Iccrya purchasi) in America have been so successful that we 



FIG. 173. TOUXG WINTER FORM OF BROWN 

 KILLED BY PARAFFIN EMULSION. 



