PREVIOUS WORK WITH INSECT PARASITES. 29 
Alexandria. These multiplied so rapidly as to cause an almost 
complete disappearance of the scales. Later the latter began to 
increase, but the Novius had not died out and also increased. The 
Icerya is still held in check in a very perfect way. 
In 1890 the Novius had been introduced into the Hawaiian Islands 
for work against Icerya purchasi with the same success. ‘ 
IcERYA IN ITALY. 
In 1900 Icerya purchasi was found also in Italy, in a small garden 
at Portici, upon orange trees. By the autumn of 1900 it had mul- 
tiplied so abundantly that the owner of the garden tried to stop 
the trouble by cutting down the trees most badly infested, without 
bothering himself with the others, so that the infestation continued. 
When Prof. Berlese’s attention was called to it an attempt was first 
made to destroy it by insecticides without success, and then Novius 
cardinalis was imported from Portugal and from America. The 
following June the ladybird in both sexes was distributed in the 
garden, prospered wonderfully, and multiplied rapidly. In July the 
results were already evident; one could hardly find patches of Icerya 
which did not show the work of Novius, and at the end of the month 
it was difficult to find adult Iceryas with which to continue the 
rearing in the laboratory for food for the reserve supply of Novius. 
At the present time the multiplication of the scale insect has been 
reduced to the point of practically no damage, but the original infes- 
tation still persists and, the area of distribution of the scale insect 
is slowly enlarging. It is found not only at Portici but in all the 
little towns around Vesuvius and in the gardens in Naples; but the 
presence of the ladybird allows the culture of oranges and lemons 
to go on without interruption. 
IcERYA IN SYRIA. 
The latest utilization of the beneficial Novius is recorded by Sil- 
vestri. It seems that about the year 1905 Icerya made its appearance 
in Syria, and in July, 1907, Selim Ali Slam wrote to Prof. Silvestri 
that it had spread so greatly about Beirut that it had almost 
destroyed the trees. Silvestri sent a shipment of Novius in July, 
1907, and another one in August. The result was the same in Syria 
as it had been in other countries; the Novius multiplied greatly and 
produced the desired effect.! 
THE REASONS FOR THE Success or Novivws. 
It thus appears that m the Novius we have an almost perfect 
remedy against Icerya. There have been no failures in its intro- 
—z Since the above was written (in the autumn of 1909) still another success with Novius has been by its 
carriage from California to Formosa by Dr. T. Shiraki, the entomologist of the Formosan Government, 
who writes, under date of Jan. 28, 1910: ‘‘To-day it has relieved the region from Icerya and has reduced 
their number to a practically negligible quantity.” 
