Mealybug attack

Mealybugs are white insect which belong to the Pseudococcidae family. Mealybug insect also act as a vector for several plant diseases.(Mealybug attack)

This insect sucks the plant sap from the new leaves, which cause slow growth of plant. Because of the shrivel leaves. Mealybug attack on many vegetable as well as fruit crops.

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The insect excrete a sweet, sticky liquid, called honey dew. And then black mould can grow on this honey dew and reduce the growth of plant and yield of the plant.

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MealyBug Identification:

Mealy bug are white insect, whereas adult insect size from 1/10 — 1/4 inch long. Insect usually covered with a white or gray mealy wax. The small nymphs mealybug also called crawlers, they are light yellow and free of wax.

How Many Species of MealyBug:

There are approximately 275 species of mealybugs.

MealyBug infestation:

Mealybug can occur in all seasons to attack, but it will be more damaging in hot weather. Heavy rainfall wash the insect from the plants and also kill them. This insect have covered body by wax coating which protects the insect from chemical pesticides. The ants help them to spread from one place to another place. And this happens due honey dew because ants attracts to honey dew. The ants eat honey dew and mealybugs secrete honey dew. That will help mealybugs to spread. It also spread by people and farming tools.

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How to control Mealybugs:

  1. Attack of mealybug in his early stage, then remove the affected plant or plant twigs and compost them to prevent from the insect attract.
  2. To prevent from spreading the mealybug insect, then mix an equal amount of squeezed lime juice with water. And then sprinkle this on the ground nests of ants to control them to help the spreading mealybug.
  3. Ladybirds beetles also help to reduce attack of mealybug. You can release 500 lady bird beetles per hectare to reduce attack. And it can be available from a nearby research station, an agriculture university. You can also get it from your extension agent.
  4. Spray water with a hand sprayer to remove the mealybugs.
  5. If you have locally available leaves which are bitter in taste to deter mealybugs. Then spray of extraction will help. And to make this spray soak one kilogram of bitter leaves in cow urine or water for 10 days. After that mix one litre of extract with 9 litres of water per tank. And then add 10 ml of a sticking agent.
  6. You can use neem oil, which will kills the mealybugs. To make the solution, use half a cup of neem oil in 20 liters of water. Then add three tablespoons of a natural laundry soap to make the neem stick to the mealybugs.
  7. You can also biological pesticides like Verticillium or Beauveria, which contain fungi that kill mealybugs.

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