Insect Pests of Fruit, Plantation, Medicinal & Aromatic Crops (2+1)

7. Flower gall midge

7. Flower gall midge-Procystiphora mangiferaae Felt. (Cecidomyiidae: Diptera)

Damage

• The maggot feeds on the internal content of the buds which become conical in shape, turn brown and drop.
• The infestation results in flower dropping and malformation of flowers.
Bionomics

• The adult fly is light orange in colour.
• It lays eggs inside the flower buds.
• The maggot feeds on stalks of stamen, anthers, and ovary.
• It pupates inside the bud itself.
• The life cycle is completed in 12-24 days.