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

4. San jose Scale

4. San jose Scale - Quadraspidiotus pernicious Comst. (Diaspididae: Hemiptera)

Damage

• Both nymphs and adults infest the bark and desap the same.
• The infested region of the bark becomes reddish pink and purple colouration in fruits.
Bionomics

• The female scale is round slightly convex with a black pustule and the male is linear.
• The hibernating nymphs become active in March and the males emerge in April.
• The females reproduce in mid May producing 200-400 nymphs within a month.
• The nymphal period is 20 days. The total life cycle is completed in 35-40 days.
Management

• Spray diazinon 20 EC 1250 ml or methyl demeton 5 EC 625 ml /hectare.
• Select nursery stock free from scale infestation.
• Encourage activity of parasitoids, Prospaltella perniciosi and Aspidiotophagus sp. and / or coccinellid Chilocorus circumdatus predator.
• Fumigate nursery stocks with HCN gas or methyl bromide.
• Summer spray with contact or systemic insecticides like phosalone 0.05%, fenitrothion 0.05% and methyl demeton 0.025%.
• Winter spray with diesel oil emulsion at 8 to 12 1/tree (diesel oil 4.5 1, soap 1 kg, water 54-72 1).