Harmful Scale Insects (Coccidae: Hemiptera) of Mango and Their Control

Scale insects (Coccidae: Hemiptera) are very destructive pests of mango and many other horticultural crops. They suck the cell sap from leaves, twigs and fruits and affect the yield seriously. They also cause sooty moulds, affect photosynthesis, growth and the crop yield. Hence, in the survey studies (2012-2014) 19 species of scales have been reported damaging mango varieties including Hapus, hybrids and indigenous. Hapus and hybrid varieties were attacked mostly by the scales and indigenous varieties were more resistant to the scales than others. The scales completed their life cycle from 1 to 2 months. On hapus varieties 56% fruits were affected. As a part of ecofriendly control, natural enemies such as ants, mantids, lace wings, lady bird beetles and some parasitoids have been reported on scales. However, the scales can be controlled effectively by spraying the crop with 0.03% phosphamidon/Azadiractin or 0.04% diazinon/ monocrotophos or 0.03% Rogor or 0.2% Carbaryl/ 0.03 DDVP. ABSTRACT