Comments on: Exotic mealybug species – a major new pest in cotton

By: Muhammad Ashfaq

Muhammad Ashfaq — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:39:40 +0000

Mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis had been a serious cotton pest in Pakistan between 2005 and 2008. In 2009 and now in 2010 mealybug population is completely under control in almost all the cotton growing areas of Pakistan. The major factor in suppressing mealybug population is Aenasius bambawalei, an encyrtid parasitoid. A huge biological control program of cotton mealybug is in place in Pakistan which mainly rely on mass rearing and release of A. bambawalei and a predator, Cryptolaemus sp. The mass rearing of A. bambawaei is under threat due to its recently discovered hyperparasitoid. Correct identification of the hyperparasitoid has not been confirmed yet in Pakistan.

By: Pala Ram

Pala Ram — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 14:13:24 +0000

We have reported several parasitoids emerging from mummies of Phenacoccus solenopsis in India. These were Aenasius bambawalei Hayat, Promuscidea unfasciativentris Girault, Myiocnema comperei Ashmead, Prochiloneurus albifuniculus (Hayat, Alam and Agarwal) and Marietta leopardina Motschulsky. Among these A. bambawalei is the only primary parasitoid and rest others are hyperparasitoids of A. bambawalei. M. compere dominated among the hyperparasitoids. An unidentified eulophid was also recordrd. A. bambawalei provided complete control of P. solenopsis on cotton in Haryana, India. (Journal of Biological Control, 24 (2): 104–109, 2010)

By: Meenu Agarwal

Meenu Agarwal — Thu, 13 May 2010 06:07:41 +0000

In India we have at least two effective parasitoids viz., Aenasius bambawalei Hayat (Encyrtidae) and Promuscidea unfasciativentris Girault (Aphelinidae) that suppressed P.solenopsis, in addition to generalist predators.

By: Anne tuart

Anne tuart — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:47:27 +0000

I am sure that brown pirate bugs are eating crawlers. I can find 2 – 3 pirate bugs in squares and evidence of dead mealys.