Department of Horticulture & Landscape Gardening R.R.D.T. NIRANGA Department of Horticulture & Landscape Gardening Faculty of Agriculture & Plantation mgt Wayamba University of Sri Lanka MEALY BUG

Scientific classification Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Arthropoda Class : Insecta Order : Homoptera Suborder : Sternorrhyncha Family : Pseudococcidae

Morphological Features Mealy bugs are sexually dimorphic Females - are nymphal - exhibit reduced morphology - and are wingless Males - Are winged - do change completely during their lives - exhibit a radical change during their life cycle - changing from wingless, ovoid nymphs to "wasp-like" flying adults.

- Mealy bug females feed on plant sap They attach themselves to the plant and secrete a powdery wax layer used for protection The males are short-lived Ovulation - Some species of mealy bug lay their eggs in the same waxy layer - Other species are born directly from the female. Vine mealy bug adult female with egg mass.

Species include Pseudococcus viburni - Obscure mealy bug Paracoccus marginatus - Papaya Mealy bug Planococcus citri - Citrus mealy bug Maconellicoccus hirsutus - pink hibiscus mealy bug grape mealy bug 60 crops that can be affected by mealy bug (Pseudococcidae family) have been identified. More than 200 species of mealy bug have been identified in Sri Lanka (Source Hayleys Agro official web site)

Papaya Mealy bug (Paracoccus marginatus) Serious pest of many tropical and sub tropical fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants The first discovery of P. marginatus in the United States was in Florida in 1998 Native to Mexico and Central America In 2008, first observed in the Western Province It causes severe economic losses, health problems and habitat destruction in many tropical and sub tropical plants

Dispersion Anuradhapura Kegalle Polonnaruwa Gampaha Ratnapura Colombo Matara

Severely affected plant species Carica papaya Hibiscus spp. Plumeria spp. Acacia spp. Annona squamosa Ipomoea spp. Manihot spp. Mimosa pigra Persea americana Solanum melongena Acalypha spp Orchid spp.

Severely affected plant species cont. Breadfruit Jack Manioc Mango Chillies Brinjals Citrus Pineapple

Damage The mealy bug injects a toxin as it feeds on leaves and fruit which results - chlorosis (yellowing) - stunting, deformation - early leaf and fruit drop - buildup of honeydew - Sooty mold growing on honeydew excreted by the mealy bugs interferes with photosynthesis - Heavy mealy bug infestations may kill plants

Life cycle of Papaya mealy bug 1st instar 2nd instar 3rd instar 4th instar ♀ 8-10 days ♂ 1-2 days 4 -7 days 2-3 days ♀ 10-14 days Common for Both ♂ and ♀ Adult Egg

Attention

Safe solution for controlling Mechanical and synthetic chemical control is not compatible Difficult to find out local biological control agents Need to find out more quick and safe solution

Biological Control - The tiny parasitic wasps Anagyrus loecki Pseudleptomastix mexicana Acerophagus papayae - lady beetles - lacewings - provide excellent biological control of the papaya mealy bug - Acerophagus papayae was decided to introduce to Sri Lanka

Government exported 50000 sample of Acerophagus papayae from USA Taxonomy Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Arthropoda Class : Insecta Order : Hymenoptera Family : Chalcidoidea Genus : Acerophagus Scientific name : Acerophagus papayae

Parasitoid that feeds only on the Papaya Mealy bug Belongs to the Bee family Each female has an egg sac that contains 500-600 eggs Lays only about 100 to 200 eggs in each pest, and has the ability to infest many Other countries noted a 99% reduction of the Papaya Mealy bug just three months after introducing the parasitoid.