vedalia

/ vɪˈdeɪlɪə /

noun

1. an Australian ladybird, Rodolia cardinalis, introduced elsewhere to control the scale insect Icerya purchasi, which is a pest of citrus fruits

Word History and Origins

Origin of vedalia¹

C20: from New Latin

Example Sentences

The vedalia beetle was brought in to the citrus orchards of California in the 1880s to take care of a serious pest, the cottony cushion scale.

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Then a parasite of the scale insect was imported from Australia, a small lady beetle called the vedalia.

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With the advent of DDT and the even more toxic chemicals to follow, the populations of the vedalia in many sections of California were wiped out.

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The vedalia can be maintained only by repeated releases and by the most careful attention to spray schedules, to minimize their contact with insecticides.

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Besides the vedalia beetles brought in by Koebele, other importations have been highly successful.

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