NATURAL CONTROL OF CITRUS MEALYBUG IN FLORIDA. 6 
INSECT ENEMIES OF THE MEALYBUG, AND INSECTS ASSOCIATED 
WITH THE MEALYBUGS AND SOMETIMES CONSIDERED AS 
BENEFICIAL. 
During the past two summers, 1920 and 1921, three insects have 
been found associated with mealybugs: Pyroderces rileyi Wlsm., 2 
Laetilia coccidivora Comst., 2 and a species of Chrysoplatycerus. 3 
The larva of the tineid moth Pyroderces rileyi, known as the 
pink cornworm or scavenger bollworm, is conspicuous in mealybug 
clusters, occurring abundantly between clustering grapefruit, par- 
ticularly if dead leaves are pinioned in the cluster. It is perhaps the 
most common of all insects frequenting mealybug clusters, and many 
growers are of the opinion that it feeds upon the mealybug. The 
larvae are deep pink or "wine red" (Busck 4 ) in color, about three- 
eighths of an inch long, and more or less cylindrical in form. Just 
back of the head a rectangular, almost black area is to be noted, 
which, though common to other lepidopterous larvae, serves at once 
to distinguish the common Florida form from other larvae occasion- 
ally found in similar situations. The insect is without doubt a scav- 
enger, playing no economic role as far as the mealybug is concerned. 
Busck 4 reported it as a trash feeder. The writer, unaware of this 
or similar publications, performed some experiments to determine its 
relationship to the mealybug. A few larvae brought into the labora- 
tory were confined with live mealybugs in a glass vial for several 
days, but none of the mealybugs were eaten. On the other. hand, an 
old dead leaf found sandwiched between two grapefruit, covered 
with the larvae, was brought into the laboratory and confined in a 
pill box in a moist chamber. On this the larvae grew to maturity in 
the complete absence of mealybugs. 
The second insect, the pyralicl moth, Laetilia coccidivora, is much 
less common than Pyroderces rileyi, but, like it, occurs in the larva 
stage associated with mealybugs. The writer performed no experi- 
ments with this insect, but it is looked upon generally as predacious 
in habit, feeding upon the mealybugs. In the Winter Haven grove, 
where the observations of the past season were made, however, it was 
i ot abundant, and among the thousands of mealybugs that were 
collected for experimental purposes only 12 of these larvae were ob- 
served. The full-grown larva is somewhat larger than that of 
Pyroderces rileyi and is grayish green in color. It forms a silken 
web, beneath which it lives and feeds. 
The third insect, new apparently in Florida, is a chalcid. an un- 
known species of Chrysoplatycerus. The specimens submitted for 
2 Determined by Carl Heinrich, of the Bureau of Entomology. 
3 The writer is indebted to A. B. Gahan, of the Bureau of Entomology, for the generic 
identification of this insect and for the information regarding C. spJendens Howard. 
4 Busck, August. The pink bollworm, Pectinophora gassypiella, In Jour. Agr. Res., v. 
9, no. 10, p. 362. 366, 1017. 
