Insect Pests of Vegetable, Ornamental and Spice Crops (2+1)

Hadda beteles

5. Hadda beteles

Important species:

• Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata
• H. duodecastigma
• H. demurili

Family: Coccinellidae

Order: Coleoptera

Distribution: India, south-east Asia

Host range: H. vigintioctopunctata and H. duodecastigma attack solanaceous and cucurbitaceous crops, while H. demurili attack only cucurbitaceous vegetables only.

Damage:

• The damage is caused by the beetles and the grubs
• The leaves are damaged by feeding on the chlorophyll tissue between veins
• Leaves are skeletonized

Identification:

• The grubs are about 6mm, yellow, with six rows branched spines.
• Beetles measure about 8 to 9 mm in length and 5 to 6mm in breadth.
• H. vigintioctopunctata beetles are deep copper coloured having 14 black spots on each elytron whose tip is somewhat pointed
• Beetles of H. duodecastigma are deep copper coloured with 6 black spots on each elytron whose tip is more rounded.
• H. demurili beetles are dull in appearance and light copper coloured with each elytron bearing 6 black spots surrounded by yellow margins.

Life cycle:

• The incubation period is 2- 3days
• Larval period is 14-18 days
• Pre-pupal period is 1-2 days
• Pupal period 4-5 days .
• Pre-oviposition period is 5-6 days
• Oviposition period is about 40-50 days
• Post-oviposition period is 10 days
• Adult longevity is 60-65 days (male) and 65-70 days (female)
• Several generations from March to October.

Salient features:

• Beetles resume their activity during March-April
• Hibernate as an adult in heaps of dry plants or in cracks and crevice in soil.
• Yellow cigar shaped eggs are laid mostly on the under surface of the leaves in clusters of 5 to 55 each.
• A single female can lay 200 to 700 eggs

Management:

• Collection and destruction of various stages of the pest.
• Larval parasitoids such as Pediobius foveolatus and Uga menoni are active in nature.
• The pest can be controlled by spraying the crop with malathion (0.05%)