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

Scales and mealybugs

4. Scales and mealybugs

• Lepidosaphes piperis (Coccidae: Hemiptera)
• Mussel scale, Lecanium marsupiale
• Hard scales, Aspidiotus destructor
• Pinnaspis aspidistrae
• P. marchali
• Chionaspis voricosa
• Mealy bugs, Ferrisia virgata

Damage

• Scales and mealy bugs often cause considerable damage to pepper
• They such the cell sap from plants
• Badly infested vines dry up gradually.

Management

• Spraying of malathion (0.1%) or dimethoate (0.05%) in effective in controlling these coccids.

5. Gall midge, Cecidomyia malabrensis (Cecidomyiidae: Diptera)

Damage

• The eggs are laid on the spikes
• The maggots get embedded in the pulp of berries and at the attachment of berry to spike
• Full grown maggots fall to the ground and pupate in soil
• Infested berries increase in size in the beginning but appear stunted later
• Cause Swelling on tender stalks and shoots.

Minor pests

• Flea beetles, Pagria costatipennis
• Neculla pollinaria
• Weeivil, Eugnathus curvues
• Myllocerus sp.
• Stem borers, Pterolophia annulata (Cerambycidae: Coleoptera)
• Diboma procera