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

1. Tent Caterpillar

1. Tent Caterpillar - Malacosoma indica Wlk. (Lasiocarapidae: Lepidoptera)

Damage

• The caterpillar constructs a tent like shelters at the forking twigs and hide within during the day time.
• The caterpillar feeds on the leaves gregariously during the night hours causing severe defoliation.
Bionomics

• It is active only from March to May and passes the remaining
• months of the year during eggs stage.
• The adult female moth is light brown with a wing expanse of 29-32 mm.
• It lays eggs in masses of 300-400 on branches of the tree during May-June.
• The eggs are hatched in the following month.
• The larva has black head and abdomen.
• The larval period is 40-70 days.
• It pupates on stem and on ground in cocoon during May for 7-21 days.
Management
• Destroy all the egg bands on the branches during pruning.
• Spray carbaryl 50 WP 4 g / lit of water.