San Jose scale

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San Jose scale is a hemipterous insect (Aspidiotus perniciosus) of the family Coccidae. It derives its popular name from San Jose, California where Comstock discovered and named it in 1880. It has been considered the most pernicious scale insect in the United States. It was probably introduced at San Jose about 1870 on trees imported from China by James Lick. By 1890 it had spread over the greater part of California, but was not recognized east of the Rocky Mountains until August, 1893, when it was found by Howard on a pear received from Charlottesville, Va. Soon afterward it was discovered that infested stock had been brought from California in 1887 or 1888 by two New Jersey nurseries and sent out broadcast. By 1895 the pest had become established in many nurseries and orchards in the majority of the Eastern States. Marlatt made entomological investigations in China, Japan, and Java in 1901-02. He introduced the ladybird to the United States to control the San Jose scale.

[edit] Literature

Numerous articles by L. O. Howard, C. L. Marlatt, A. L. Quaintance, and others, published by the United States Bureau of Entomology (Washingyon, 1896 et seq.); W. G. Johnson, Fumigation Methods (New York, 1902); United States Department of Agriculture, The Farmer's Bulletin, No. 650 (Washington, 1815), and the publications of the State agricultural experiment stations.

This article incorporates text from an edition of the New International Encyclopedia that is in the public domain.