noun
- a small ladybird beetle native to Australia that feeds on scale insects and is used as a biological control agent
Usage: entomology
Examples
- The vedalia was introduced to California in the 1880s to control cottony cushion scale.
- Farmers rely on the vedalia as a natural pest control method.
- The vedalia beetle successfully saved California’s citrus industry from destruction.
- Researchers studied the vedalia’s feeding habits on scale insects.
- The introduction of vedalia is considered one of the first successful biological control programs.