Mealy bugs belongs to,phylum:Arthropoda,Class:Insecta,Family:Pseudococcidae,
, scale insects are about 0.2 inch long,
flat, oval shaped, and have a white waxy covering with wax filaments females
are nymphs, exhibit reduced morphology, and have wings, they often retain legs
and can move. The females do change completely Males are wingless and do not
change completely during their lives. They attach themselves to the plant and
secrete a powdery wax layer (therefore the name mealybug) used for protection
while they considered pests as they feed on plant juices
In pakistan, mango
mealybug is considered a major pest for
the mango crop.and also cause serious
damag to citrus;sugarcane,papaya, mulberry, sunflower and orchids grapes,
pineapple
Infestation
in Gilgit baltistan:
The districts of Gilgit
Division (Gilgit,Ghizer,and hunza niger ), Baltistan devision (skardu,ghanche)
are under the swear attack of mealy bugs .according to local people these
insects are brought along with the the honey bees from the down areas of
pakistan . millions of fruits plants as
well as forest plants are swearly damaged by mealybug population.the government
as well as Agriculture Department didn,t have any intrust to control this
destructive monster.they are only making castles in the air.many projects were
annonced and million of rupees were allocated in the past for the control of
this pest.the projects were completed and millions of ruppes were comsumed but
the ground realities show
that the result is zero.the insect population increasing day by day and spreading more repadily.the people of gilgit baltistan are ignorent about the damage of this pest.
There is need of public awareness as well as integreted pest management techniques to control this pest i suggest fallowing control measures .
Control measures :
Bio Control
• Ladybird beetls feed on mealybugs, and can be used to control their population.
• A Fungal biocontrol agent Verticillium lecanii control Mealybugs by killing them.
Cultural Control:
.placement of sticky bands around the stem of plant effectively control the amount of insects.
Chemical Control:
. Imidacloprid ( systemic insecticide which acts as an insect neurotoxin)along with castic soda effectively control the infestation of mealybug.
• An aqueous solution containing 50% v/v isopropyl alcohol and 1% w/v sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) is effective against mealybugs. Isopropyl alcohol dissolves their outer waxy covering, while SDS attacks mealybug bodies.
•Organophosphates.( Diazinon )can be used effectively, but requires multiple applications before the infestation is eliminated
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