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

3. Apical twig gall maker

1. Apical twig gall maker - Betousa stylophora

• The pest causes gall formation on stem and shoot.
• The larva of this moth tunnels in the apical portion of the shoot and infested portion bulges into a gall. When the larva is active, reddish gum-like secretion extrudes through a hole at one end.
• Fresh galls are generally formed during the season between June and August. The full size galls measure from 2.3 to 2.5 cm in length and 1 to 1.5 cm in width.
• This pest attack may result in stunted growth of the trees, affecting flowering and fruiting pattern.
• In the initial stage of the infestation, terminal shoots swell in size very soon and full size galls can be seen in the month of September - October.y discouraging the overcrowding of branches, pruning the galls and destroying it along with the pest after harvest is one of the ways of managing the pest attack.
• In the regular case of occurrence, any systemic pesticide may be sprayed in the beginning of the season and will be repeated for every 15 days, if needed.