228 



Insect Pests. 



liatched 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 

 larviv, 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 larvte have a distinct reddish hue in the spring. 

 Unlike the previous species, the larva?, are not affected by light. 

 Those observed seemed very fond 

 of wandering about amongst the 

 green algee 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. 



ISTewstead (1) is of opinion that 



it is merely a variety of Lecaniurii 



■pcrsicm (Geoffrey). 



Curtis (4) refers to this insect as Lccanmm Jiesjycridwrn, merely 



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



the insects 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). 



in;. I,... YiUNC WINTKl; I'oKM (iF BU 

 JURKANT SCALK. I.uWEIl ONE ALIVE, U. 

 KILLED BY PARAFFIN EMULSION. 



ISTatueal Enemies. 

 Numerous natural enemies prey upon these Currant Coccidte ; of 

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

 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 countiy. Eesults with the Vedulia cardinalis and the Orange 

 Scale {Icerya jmrchasi) in America have been so successful that we 



