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

1. Tea mosquito bug - Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse. H .antonii (Miridae: Hemiptera)

Damage

• Both nymphs and adults suck the sap from young leaves, buds and tender shoots resulting dry spots on leaves and brownish patches in the tender shoots, buds and stem.
• In severe cases, the leaves curl up and shoot dry up.
• The attacked shoot may present die - back symptoms.
Bionomics

• The adult is a small, active elongated bug with black or olive green head.
• It has yellow and black thorax and yellow and greenish black abdomen.
• It thrusts the eggs in to the surface tissues of tender shoots, buds, mid ribs and petioles Eggs are elongated sausage shaped with two minute hairs on its operculum which project out of the eggs.
• The egg period is 5-7 days.
• The nymph is dirty yellow with long legs and antennae which resemble ants.
• They become full grown in 3 weeks under going five instars.
• Both nymphs and adults are active moving about on the bushes, flying swiftly in the early hours of the day.
Management

• Collect nymphs and adults with hand nets early in the morning or in the evening and destroy them.
• Spray the bushes with malathion 50 EC at 2 ml / litre of water.