Vedalia

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Vedalia

 

(Rodolia cardinalis; also known as Novius cardinalis and Vedalia cardinalis), an entomophagous beetle of the family Coccinellidae (ladybugs) that destroys the cottony-cushion scale from Australia, which is a dangerous pest of citrus fruits. The body length is 3–5 mm. The beetle is red-black, and the larva is red. The vedalia is native to Australia. It was imported first to California and then to other citrus-raising regions, including the Black Sea shore of the Caucasus. The beetle has become acclimatized in these regions and has impeded reproduction of the injurious scale.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.