Pest :Mealy bugs

Pseudococcus longispinus Pseudococcidae

These insects are very small and their body is covered with white powdery waxy substance.The body of the mealy bug is white to pink in colour (Fig 90). They usually excrete a pinkish fluid when pressed. Ants are always associated with mealy bugs. They feed on the honey dew excretion of mealy bugs. Ants transport mealy bugs, especially crawlers, to central spindle and young buttons.

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  • Mealybug Image1
  • Mealybug Image2

Symptoms

  • Mealy bugs infest the heart leaf which becomes highly stunted deformed and suppressed.
  • When they infest inflorescence the populations of mealy bugs are seen under the perianth.
  • Due to the draining of sap the young buttons dry and such dried buttons are retained on the tree.
  • When developing nuts are infested they become deformed.

Procedure for Observation

Observe twenty trees at random from a plot, look for dried inflorescence and assess the damage.Even if one inflorescence is dried that tree is taken as infested.

ETL

Mere presence.

Control Measures

  • Wide open 2 or 3 leaves surrounding the central spindle. Clean the crown of all the dried inflorescences.
  • Crown cleaning should be taken as a usual practice immediately after the North to East monsoon as there is chance for building up of the population during summer season.
  • Spray dimethoate(Roger 30 EC to 0.05 percentage or Quinalphos 25 EC to 0.05 percentage).Spray neem oil emulsion plus garlic 2 % .
  • Spray Verticillium lecanii at 20g/L or 5 ml/L.