vedalia beetle
noun
ve·da·lia beetle
vi-ˈdāl-yə- 
variants
or less commonly vedalia
: an Australian ladybug (Rodolia cardinalis) introduced to many countries to control scale insects
Examples of vedalia beetle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the late 1800s, the vedalia beetle (Rodolia cardinalis) was imported to the U.S. to control cottony cushion scale, which was extremely destructive to citrus.
—
Susan Pransky, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2023
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.
—Adrian Higgins, idahostatesman, 7 Feb. 2018
Susan Pransky, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2023
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.
—Adrian Higgins, idahostatesman, 7 Feb. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vedalia beetle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Vedalia beetle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vedalia%20beetle. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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