cottony-cushion scale

American  

[kot-n-ee koosh-uhn] / ˈkɒt n i ˈkʊʃ ən /

noun

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

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cottony-cushion scale British  

noun

1. 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

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Etymology

Origin of cottony-cushion scale

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

You remember that I told you that one of these troublesome scales is the cottony-cushion scale, and that one day it was discovered that a lady-beetle from Australia liked these scales very much.

From Little Busybodies The Life of Crickets, Ants, Bees, Beetles, and Other Busybodies by Marks, Jeannette Augustus