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

3. Indian gypsy moth

3. Indian gypsy moth - Lymantria obfuscata Wlk. ( Lymantriidae : Lepidoptera )

Damage

• The larva feeds on the leaves gregariously which results in failure of fruit formation.
Bionomics

• The adult female is dark grey in colour. It settles down on the bark of the tree and days eggs in masses of 200-400 under the bark which are covered with yellowish brown hairs.
• The egg stage overwinters during cold months and hatch in March - April.
• The larvae complete the development in 66-100 days.
• It pupates in the soil among the debris. The pupal period is 9-21 days.