The Inspiring Power of the Ladybird Beetle!
3 min readJul 27, 2024
Discover the Strength and Resilience of Nature's Tiny Wonder!
The bug that saved California's citrus industry:
During the 1870s, determined farmers were cultivating the first seedless navel and sweet Valencia oranges in the abundant sunshine of California's citrus groves.
Fruit exports to the east generated $20 million annually, a tenfold increase in the last decade. The public compared it to a second gold rush!
Suddenly, a fuzzy white bug, the Icerya, emerged, sparking an environmental crisis!
It was a mystery how the cottony cushion scale, a destructive tree pest indigenous to Australia, was introduced to citrus trees worldwide.
Attempts to destroy pests:
No matter what they tried, they washed the trees with whale oil, used blistering steam, and cut off and burned infected limbs of the trees; even gunpowder blasts did not affect the waxy, mold-riddled scales excreted by Icerya.
