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Show Natural enemies reduce destruction I The American Association of Nurserymen reminds us that for many years, man has employed the natural enemies of pests, in efforts to reduce weed and insect destruction to the environment envir-onment and agriculture. In 1889, the USDA introduced in-troduced biological pest control con-trol to this country. In an attempt at-tempt to save California citrus groves from a rampaging rampag-ing pest called cottony cushion scale,' the agency brought in Australian Vedalia beetles, which belong to the ladybird beetle family. The newcomers put a stop to the citrus pest and are still used, 100 years later, to keep it in check. And despite the enormous growth in citrus production through the years, the beetle continues to do an excellent job of keeping keep-ing groves pest-free. This first exercise in biological control quickly developed into a widely used standard and today is receiving receiv-ing more attention than ever before. |