cottony-cushion scale

[kot-n-ee koo sh-uh n]

noun

a scale insect, Icerya purchasi, native to Australia, now a common pest in the citrus-growing regions of California.

Origin of cottony-cushion scale

First recorded in 1885–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for cottony-cushion scale

cottony-cushion scale

noun

a small scale insect, Icerya purchasi, that is a pest of citrus trees in California: it is controlled by introducing an Australian ladybird, Rodolia cardinalis, into affected areas

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012