28 PARASITES OF GIPSY AND BROWN-TAIL MOTHS. 



ceous beetles long after the apparent great necessity for such work 

 had disappeared in California, and had it not been for the courtesy of 

 the board in promptly placing material at its disposal. 



Icerya in Florida. 



The general effect of the California success on the horticultural 

 world at large was striking, but not wholly beneficial. Many enthu- 

 siasts concluded that it was no longer worth while to use insecticidal 

 mixtures, and that all that was necessary in order to eradicate any 

 insect pest to horticulture or to agriculture was to send to Australia 

 for its natural enemy. The fact that the Vedalia preys only upon 

 Icerya and perhaps some very closely allied forms was disregarded, 

 and it was supposed by many fruit growers that it would destroy any 

 scale insect. Therefore the people in Florida whose orange groves 

 were suffering from the long scale (LepidosapJies gloveri Pack.) and 

 the purple scale (LepidosapJies beckii Newm.) sent to California for 

 specimens of the Vedalia to rid their trees of these other scale pests. 

 Their correspondents in California sent them specimens of the beetle 

 in a box with a supply of Iceryas for food. When they arrived in 

 Florida the entire contents of the box were placed in an orange grove. 

 The result was that the beneficial insects died, and the Icerya gained 

 a foothold in Florida, a State in which it had never before been seen. 

 It bred rapidly and spread to a considerable extent for some years, 

 and did an appreciable amount of damage before it was finally 

 subdued. 



Novius in Cape Colony. 



Prior to the introduction of Novius into Portugal, Icerya puschasi 

 having been established at the Cape of Good Hope, the beneficial 

 ladybird was, after an unsuccessful attempt, carried from California 

 to Cape Town by Mr. Thomas Low, member of the Legislative 

 Assembly of Cape Colony, and on the 29th of January, 1892, living 

 specimens were placed in perfect condition in the hands of the depart- 

 ment of agriculture of Cape Colony. These specimens multiplied 

 and were reenforced late in 1892 by a new sending from Australia 

 made by Koebele. At the present time the Novius is perfectly 

 naturalized at the Cape. 



Novius in Egypt and the Hawaiian Islands. 



At the same time, through the United States Department of Agri- 

 culture and the courtesy of the State Board of Horticulture of Cali- 

 fornia, the Novius" was sent to Egypt to prey upon an allied scale 

 insect, Icerya segyptiaca Dough, Which was doing great damage to 

 citrus trees and to fig trees in the gardens of Alexandria, Egypt. 

 Six adult insects and several larvae arrived in living condition at 



