Albert Koebele (1853-1924)

Albert Koebele was born on February 28, 1853 in Germany. Although he had little education, he was always interested in natural history. He came to the United States at a young age and in 1880 he was naturalized as an American Citizen in New York City.
Albert Koebele is credited with being one of the first entomologists to introduce beneficial insects to combat insect pest. In 1881 he held the post of Assistant Entomologist for the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C. Koebele disliked life on the East Coast and was transferred to Alameda, California in 1885. In 1888 he traveled to Australia, where he collected the Novius Cardinalis (ladybeetles), which he brought to California to combat the cottony cushion scale, a citrus pest that had earlier wiped out the citrus groves in Los Angles.. This process was very successful and considered to have saved the citrus industry in California. - Millet