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

4. Citrus mealy bug

4. Citrus mealy bug - Pseudococcus filamentosus Cockerell. (Pseudococcidae : Hemiptera)

Damage

• Both nymphs and adults suck the cell sap causing wilting and drying of young seedlings.
• The infested plants develop sooty moulds on the surface of leaves due to honeydew excreted by the insect.
Bionomics

• The female lays eggs in masses of 300 on the plant surface.
• The eggs are hatched in 10-20 days.
• The nymphs crawl out and feed on under surface of leaves.
• A white waxy covering develops on their bodies.
• The nymphs become full grown in 6-8 weeks.
• The male nymphs spin cotton like cocoons and pupate within it.
• All the stages of development occur at the same time.
Management

• Debark the branches and- apply methyl parathion paste.
• Use sticky trap on the shoot bearing the fruits at a length of 5 cm.
• Use dichlorovos (0.2 %) in combination with fish oil rosin soap (25 g I litre) as spray or dipping fruits for two minutes.
• Apply aldicarb lOG 50 g I tree around the base at the time of pruning.
• Release the coccinellid predator Cryptolaemus montrouzieri @ 10 beetles/tree.
• Release an exotic parasitoid Leptomastrix dactylopii 5000-7000 I ha.
• Put a band of diazinon 5 g around the tree trunk leaving 30 cm from the main stem.
• Follow ant control methods such as destruction of ant holes, red ant nests and skirting of citrus trees after harvest.
• Use sticky traps on fruit-bearing shoots at a length of cm
• Collect damaged leaves, twigs and stems along with mealy bug colonies and destroy.
• Single soil application of aldicarb 10 G at 50 g/ tree around base during pruning.
• Spray methyl parathion 0.1% emulsion, dimethoate 150 ml plus kerosene oil 250ml in 100 1 of water or carbaryl 0.05% plus oil 1% or malathion 0.1% or monocrotophos 0.1%.