BENEFICIAL INSECTS 
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Fig. 6. The Scutellista (Scutellista cyanea 
Motsch. [Family Encyrtidae]). The adult is 
a small four-winged parasite, less than one- 
eighth of an inch long, robust and metallic 
steel-blue to nearly black in color. The small 
oblong white eggs are placed under the shell 
of the black scale. They are somewhat 
larger than the eggs of the scale and hatch 
in from five to six days into crescent-shaped 
white legless larvae, which feed upon the 
eggs of the black scale for 15 to 20 days, 
when they pupate and after another like 
period emerge as adults from the shells of 
the scale through circular holes cut for this 
purpose. The adult lives a little over a week. 
It does very effective work on the black scale 
in certain sections. It also works on the 
hemispherical scale. 
itself readily to explanation but is a case 
of knowing “when to” and “when not to,” 
as each species requires different care, 
treatment and temperature. 
At the Insectary we propagate on vari- 
ous host plants, the destructive forms 
upon which we feed the beneficial forms 
that later on are distributed to the or- 
chards. 
The several pictures accompanying this 
article will give the reader an idea of the 
manner in which this work is carried on. 
Still another very interesting phase of 
the work is the conservation and dis- 
tribution of native species of beneficial 
insects. 
Many native species propagate or hyber- 
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nate in immense quantities in certain sec- 
tions of the state, which are collected 
when available, held in a state of artifi- 
cial hibernation by the aid of cold storage, 
later to be judiciously ' distributed into 
new sections, where they will thrive and 
perform wonderful service in destroying 
destructive forms which are present. 
The most prominent among these which 
we will use to illustrate this work is a 
native species of Coccinellidae (Ladybird) 
known scientifically as Hippodamia con- 
vergens. This phase of the work has been 
set forth by the writer in Vol. III of The 
Monthly Bulletin, published by the state 
commission of horticulture, of which the 
writer is assistant editor, and from which 
the following is a portion: 
Throughout California the fact is quite 
well known that the State Insectary dis- 
tributes, each year, several tons of coc- 
cinellids of the species Hippodamia con- 
vergens, commonly known as ladybirds, to 
growers of cantaloupes,, prunes, apples, 
pears, vegetables, seeds and garden truck, 
for the destruction of aphid species. 
Our growers know that it is only neces- 
Sary to make application to the superin- 
tendent of the Insectary, for colonies of 
these beneficial insects, stating the nature 
and acreage of the crop grown, to receive, 
at the proper time, a consignment of 
30,000 for each ten acres, by express, 
charges paid, and with a free return on 
the shipping crates. 
This new and very remarkable form of 
enterprise has proven a great practical 
success, the ladybirds being used to de- 
stroy aphids or plant lice that attack the 
Tent . ne ‘ st 1 
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Fig. 7. 
Wells Fargo Express taking a load 
of Ladybirds from the Insectary for delivery 
to the fruit growers over the state. Several 
loads a day are taken during the shipping 
season. Six colonies are put in one crate. 
