The Fluted Scale, Icerya purchasi Mask., as a Fest of Wattle in South India, and its control by the Biological Method (Contd.)

Abstract

The Importation of the Predator Beetles As it became evident that a control of the pest by mechanical or chemical means was neither econo mical nor efficient, it was decided to try the biological method, and ento- mologists of various countries where the Australian ladybird beetle was known to be existent either naturally or after introduction, viz., Ceylon, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Java, South Africa, Kenya, Rhodesia and Egypt were addressed in April-June, 1928, request- ing supply of Vedalia beetles for fighting the Fluted Scale in this province. In addition, the Director, Imperial Institute of Entomology, London was approached with a request for arranging supply of live predator beetles from France or elsewhere. There was prompt response from many of these countries, but most of them expressed their inability to send an immediate supply owing to the scarcity of the scale and its predator, especially in the case of the countries of the Southern Hemisphere, where winter was then prevailing. It was not till May, 1929 that the first supplies of beetles were received, and after breeding and multiplying the scanty supply received the first batches of beetles could be liberated in infested areas only in August, 1929. Altogether three consignments of Vedalia beetles. were received from abroad, the first from South Africa, the second from California through the Farnham-Royal Parasite Laboratory (both in May, 1929) and the third from Egypt in January, 1930.