Hibiscus mealybug,Culik et al, 2013 (original) (raw)
Related papers
Comparison of Sex Pheromone Traps for Monitoring Pink Hibiscus Mealybug (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae)
Journal of Economic Entomology, 2007
The pink hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), is a highly polyphagous pest that invaded Florida in 2002 and has recently been reported from several locations in Louisiana. Although identiÞcation of its sex pheromone in 2004 improved monitoring capabilities tremendously, the effectiveness and efÞciency of different pheromone trap designs for capturing males has not been evaluated. We deployed green Delta, Pherocon IIB, Pherocon V, Jackson, and Storgard Thinline traps in Homestead, FL, and compared the number of male M. hirsutus captured per trap, the number captured per unit of trapping surface area, the amount of extraneous material captured, and the time taken to count trapped mealybugs. Pheromone-baited traps with larger trapping surfaces (green Delta, Pherocon IIB, and Pherocon V) captured more males per trap than those with smaller surfaces (Jackson and Storgard Thinline), and fewest males were captured by Storgard Thinline traps. However, Jackson traps captured as many or more males per square centimeter of trapping surface as those with larger surfaces, and the time required to count males in Jackson traps was signiÞcantly less than in green Delta, Pherocon IIB, and Pherocon V traps. Although all trap designs accumulated some debris and nontarget insects, it was rated as light to moderate for all designs. Based on our measures of effectiveness and efÞciency, the Jackson trap is most suitable for monitoring M. hirsutus populations. Additionally, unlike the other traps evaluated, which must be replaced entirely or inspected in the Þeld and then redeployed, only the sticky liners of Jackson traps require replacement, enhancing the efÞciency of trap servicing.
Florida Entomologist, 2007
The pink hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green), threatens numerous crops of economic importance and could spread from populations in California and Florida to 33 other states. Field experiments conducted in Florida evaluated 3 commercially available trap designs baited with synthetic female sex pheromone for efficiency in trapping adult male M. hirsutus as well as ease in processing. Delta traps and double-sided sticky cards captured more males than Jackson traps. The Delta and Jackson traps were more effective at minimizing the capture of non-target insects. The effect of lure age on males captured was also evaluated by pre-aging lures outdoors for 0 to 8 months before testing. Fewer males were caught in Delta traps as the age of the lure increased, with significantly fewer caught in traps that had been pre-aged for 2 months. Monitoring of male flight activity throughout diel cycle with baited Delta traps indicated that males were most active around dusk. The field experiments also showed that the pheromone traps often capture males in areas where no visual indication of an infestation is evident. The pheromone trap may serve as a valuable tool to detect new infestations of pink hibiscus mealybug.
Journal of Integrated Pest Management
Hibiscus mealybug, Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead), is an invasive, highly polyphagous pest that has recently established in Florida. This pest is historically known to heavily effect citrus production in other citrus-producing regions and has similarly negatively impacted citrus groves in several counties. Hibiscus mealybug was first found infesting citrus in one county in 2019 and has rapidly spread across counties and onto additional hosts in only a few years. Here we review the known distribution and biology of hibiscus mealybug, including a description of life stages, known host plants in Florida, and management options. Additionally, a field diagnostics guide is presented to assist in early detection and prevent the spread of N. viridis in other regions. We anticipate that information shared here will help in slowing its spread in the United States.
Journal of Economic Entomology, 2011
Operational parameters of traps baited with the pheromones of three mealybug species were optimized in nurseries producing ornamental plants. All pheromone doses (1Ð320 g) attracted Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni Tozzetti) and Pseudococcus viburni (Signoret) males, with the lowest dose (1 g) attracting the fewest males for both species. Doses of 3.2Ð100 g were as attractive to male P. longispinus as the highest dose (320 g); doses from 10 to 320 g were equally attractive for P. viburni males. Lures containing 25-g doses of either pheromone had effective Þeld lifetimes of at least 12 wk. Experiments were performed to test the efÞcacy of combining multiple pheromones to attract several species of mealybugs simultaneously. Lures loaded with a mixture of the pheromones of P. longispinus, P. viburni, and Planococcus citri (Risso) were as attractive to P. viburni and P. citri as lures with their individual pheromones. Response of P. longispinus to the blend was decreased by 38% compared with its pheromone as a single component. A subsequent trial with two-component blends showed that the pheromone of P. citri was responsible for this modest decrease in P. longispinus response. This should not affect the overall efÞcacy of using these lures for monitoring the presence of all three mealybug species simultaneously. Pheromone traps were used to detect infestations of P. longispinus throughout the season and to track population cycles. When pheromone-baited traps for P. longispinus were compared with manual sampling, trap counts of male mealybugs were signiÞcantly correlated with mealybugs counted on plants in the vicinity of the traps.
Arthropod-Plant Interactions, 2017
Biological invasions by exotic species are among the major threats to biodiversity worldwide. The pink hibiscus mealybug (PHM) Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green 1908) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is an invasive mealybug species that has been reported in Brazil since 2010. This species is sometimes found in mutualistic association with ants, which help spread this pest and also prey on or remove its natural enemies. Here, we describe for the first time the interactions between ants and M. hirsutus in Brazil, focusing on cocoa trees, Theobroma cacao (L., Malvaceae), and on the ornamental species Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth (Mimosaceae), and hibiscus Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. (Malvaceae), all in the state of Bahia, Brazil. We collected M. hirsutus and associated ants on 50 randomly selected plants of these three species at three sites. We found a high diversity of ants (46 species) in trophobiotic interaction with the exotic mealybug. The highest ant species richness was found on hibiscus, with 33 species recorded interacting with the mealybug. Thirty ant species were observed associated with M. hirsutus on cocoa trees. We found significant differences in the ant assemblages according to site and plant species. Mutualisms with exotic species can cause profound alterations in the communities where they are inserted. This description of ant-M. hirsutus associations in Brazil is an initial step towards a better understanding of the mechanisms by which these mutual interactions become structured in the Neotropics and of their impacts on environment and agriculture.
Crop Protection, 2011
The absence of effective pest monitoring has resulted in an increase in populations of the obscure mealybug Pseudococcus viburni (Signoret) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in pome fruit orchards in the Western Cape Province of South Africa recently. The sex pheromone for P. viburni was recently identified and synthesized. Flight activity of adult male P. viburni was monitored by placing and servicing three, evenly spaced pheromone-baited traps per orchard in three pome fruit growing regions used for the study. Fortnightly fruit sampling was done by randomly picking three fruits per tree for the duration of each fruit season, dissecting and noting mealybug infestation. The biweekly male P. viburni trap catch information and fruit infestation data collected over two seasons were correlated. There was a positive and significant relationship between the fruit infestation and number of P. viburni adult males caught in pheromone-baited traps (r 2 ¼ 0.454, P < 0.001). The action threshold level was estimated to be 2.5 male P. viburni caught per trap per fortnight at an economic threshold of 2% fruit infestation. This monitoring method was less labor intensive, more accurate and quicker than the current visual sampling and monitoring techniques.
Bulletin of Entomological Research, 1999
The mealybug Phenacoccus herreni Cox & Williams causes considerable damage to cassava Manihot esculenta Crantz. Field surveys conducted between 1988 and 1994 indicated the mealybug was present in 57 municipalities in six States in northeastern Brazil, in some places reaching high levels of infestation. Several native natural enemy species were found associated with the pest in Brazil. Exotic encyrtid parasitoids were imported and released in fields in the States of Bahia and Pernambuco. Apoanagyrus diversicornis (Howard) was introduced from Colombia, and Acerophagus coccois Smith, and Aenasius vexans (Kerrich) were introduced from Venezuela. By the end of 1996, a total of 35,930 parasitoids had been released. In Bahia, Apoanagyrus diversicornis was recovered 130, 234, 304 and 550 km from its release site after 6, 14, 21 and 33 months, respectively. Acerophagus coccois was recovered at 180 km from its release site nine months after release. Aenasius vexans, however, did not disperse at all despite being consistently recovered at its release site. In Pernambuco, 9010 parasitoids were released from October, 1995 onwards. Acerophagus coccois and Aenasius vexans were recovered up to 40 km from the release sites after three and five months of their initial releases, respectively. The establishment and dispersal of these parasitoids are discussed.