M. Mani et A. Krishnamoorthy, EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT PESTICIDES UPON THE WAX SCALE PARASITOID, ANICETUS-CEYLONENSIS HOW (HYM, ENCYRTIDAE), International journal of pest management, 43(2), 1997, pp. 123-126
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.