SCALE INSECTS OF IMPORTANCE 3II 



This insect has gained a secure footing in New York state, as is shown 

 by its having been found at one time or another in 29 of the 61 counties. 

 The known infested locahties are limited in many cases to one or two in 

 a county. There has been no thorough survey of the bearing trees of 

 the state; and, when that is made, many other infested orchards may be 

 discovered, though it is hoped that such may not prove to be the case. 

 It is quite important for the owner to know if his trees be infested with 

 this pest; and therefore every fruit-grower is urged to send any twigs or 

 fruit, which present a suspicious appearance, to an entomologist for 

 examination. 



Original home. There has been considerable written regarding this 

 matter ; and it now looks as if proof would shortly be forthcoming to 

 show that this species is a native of Japan, a country considered by sev- 

 eral who have given the subject attention, to be most probably its home. 

 The evidence brought forward up to August 1899 failed to convince 

 either Dr Howard or his colaborer, Dr Marlatt, that the pernicious or 

 San Jose scale is a native of Japan, they holding that, so far as evidence 

 is concerned, there was nothing to prove that the insect did not come to 

 us from China, from some other portion of eastern Asia or possibly from 

 some of the islands in the Pacific or from Australia. A recent note by 

 Prof. V. L. Kellogg states that S. I. Kuwana, assistant in entomology at 

 Stanford university, spent last summer in a systematic investigation of 

 Japanese Coccidae and in the course of his work he found that the San 

 Jose scale was distributed over the whole Japanese empire, it being in 

 certain regions a serious pest. The note also states that Mr Kuwana 

 "finds much evidence to uphold the belief that the insect is native to 

 Japan." This announcement does not settle the question, but it looks 

 as if Japan might prove to be the original home of the pest. 



Natural enemies. A number of true parasites have been reared 

 from this scale insect. Anaphes gracilis How. was obtained 

 from infested twigs taken in Charles county (Md.) and Aspid- 

 iotiphagus citrinus Craw, was reared from the San Jose scale 

 in California. Aphelinus mytilaspidis Le Baron and A . 

 fuscipennis How. have been reared from scales taken in a number 

 of localities in Maryland by Prof. W. G. Johnson. The latter species 

 was bred in large numbers by Prof. Johnson and promises to become 

 an important aid in controlling this pest. 



A very small black lady bug, Pentilia misella Lee, an Ameri- 

 can species which feeds on the San Jose scale, was found by me in con- 



