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

4. Coconut scale

4. Coconut scale - Aspidiotus destructor Sign. (Diaspididae: Hemiptera)

Damage

• The nymphs and adult desap the leaflets resulting yellowing, withering and drying up of leaflets.
Bionomics

• It is circular hard scale occurs as persistent pest of coconut.
• A female lays up to 90 eggs under its shield like scale.
• The crawlers move out and distribute themselves to health leaf lets.
• The life cycles 3.2 days for male and 35 days of female.