EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT PESTICIDES UPON THE WAX SCALE PARASITOID, ANICETUS-CEYLONENSIS HOW (HYM, ENCYRTIDAE)

The wax scale, Drepanococcus chiton (Green), has become a serious pest of the fruit crops ber and guava in recent years in India. The parasi toid Anicetus ceylonensis How. (Hym.:Encyrtidae) is mainly responsible for the suppression of the wax scale on both of these crops. A study was conducted with a view to selecting pesticides that are least inimi cal to A. ceylonensis, for incorporation into the integrated pest mana gement (IPM) programme for ber and guava orchards. Adult parasitoids w ere exposed to ber leaves treated with 17 insecticides. Dimethoate (0. 05%), phosalone (0.07%) and dichlorvos (0.10%) were found to be less t oxic than the other insecticides. Further studies revealed that dichlo rvos (0.10%) and endosulfan (0.07%) and methyl demeton (0.05%) showed the least residual toxicity to A. ceylonensis. Fenvalerate (0.01%) and monocrotophos (0.05%) had significantly higher persistent toxicity to the adult parasitoids. All the fungicides/acaricides included were fo und to be harmless to the parasitoid.