Brief about insects pest

1. Non insect pests
KIRAN KUMARI
Department of Entomology
Bihar Agricultural University, Sabour

2. MITES
Mites belong to the order Acarina of the class
Arachnida.
Few common characters of mites are:
 Body is divided into two: Prosoma (head &
thorax fused together) and Opisthosoma
(abdomen)
 Mouth parts consists of Chelicerae
 Adults generally having four pairs of legs
 Respiration is through trachea which are
connected with stigmata
 Metamorphosis is simple

3. Important Phytophagous Mites
Tetranychidae Family
 Tetranychus ludeni: It infests vegetable crops like cowpea,
brinjal, bhindi etc. It sucks sap on underside of leaves. Formation
of pale yellow spots occur which finally become brown.
 Tetranychus cinnabarinus: It infests vegetables, fruits, cotton
and ornamental plants. Brinjal, cotton and lady’s finger are worst
sufferers. As a result of its attack, leaves get covered with strands
of webbing which affect photosynthesis and so the yield.
 Oligonychus coffeae: It is a major pest of coffee, tea and also
jute. Damage is caused by scraping of the surface of the leaves
and sucking the sap. Attacked leaves become bronzed and fall.
 Schizotetranychus andropogoni: It is a serious pest of sugarcane
in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Damage is done by scraping
of the surface of the leaves and sucking of the cell sap that leads
to withering.

4. Tarsonemidae
 Polyphagotarsonemus latus: It attacks chilli, potato, tea and jute. Infested
leaves show crinkling and curling, often defoliation. The yield is also
reduced.
Eriophidae
 Aceria guerreronis :It is a serious pest of coconut. The mite sucks the sap
from the tender meristematic mesocarp tissues. The feeding results in warts
and numerous longitudinal fissures on the husk of developing nuts.
 Aceria mangiferae: This species is associated with the mango
malformation disease. It causes floral and vegetation malformation.
 Aceria litchi: It is one of the devastating pests of litchi especially in West
Bengal and Bihar. As a result of the infestation, the under surface of the
leaves show abnormal growths of epidermal cells in the form of hair like
velvety layer of chocolate brown color erineum (abnormal growth of leaf
hair)
Important Phytophagous Mites (Contd…)

5. Management of Mite Pests
Cultural control:
 Avoiding mono-cropping
 Intercropping using non-host crops
 Destruction of mite-damaged parts particularly in case of
mango malformation and litchi erineum
 Clean culture.
Biological Control:
 Using some predatory mites like Amblyseius sp.
 Using some coccinellid beetles like Chrysopa sp. that cannot
survive without mite.
Chemical control:
 Using some of the chemical compounds like tetradifon,
chlorbenzalite and dicofol.

6. Snails and Slugs
Snails and slugs belong the phylum mollusca. They feed on the
germinating plants and young plants.
Control:
 Chemical use to control snail and slugs are know as molluscicide.
Metaldehyde:
 It is a solid polymer of acetaldehyde with contact and stomach
poison available as 50% WP for spraying and 5% pellet for soil
application. It induces the excessive slimy secretion through foot
and mouth resulting in death.
 Salt (NaCl) is also applied over the collected snails and slugs.

7. RODENTS
Common rat (Rattus rattus)
 It is reddish or yellowish brown with a pure white belly. It lives in
roofs of houses and underground burrows. Its damage is great in
ware houses and storage go downs.
House mouse (Mus musculus)
 Smallest species of the rat. Head + body length is 70-110 mm, large
ears and relatively small eyes, they have characteristic musky odour
that identifies their presence. The house mouse is a good climber.
Indian mole rat (Bandicota bengalensis)
 It is dark greyish brown in colour with a greyish white belly and a
bare tail, head and body 15 to 23 cm and tail 15 to 18 cm long. It
feeds upon grass, grains and tubers and damage to rice crop.
Indian gerbil rat (Tatera indica)
 It is reddish grey in colour with white underside and equals the
common house rat in size with about 18 cm long. Generally feeds
on grain, grass, roots and fruits
Indian field mouse (Mus booduga)
 It is brown in colour with a white belly. It burrows in field bunds
causing extensive damage to bunds.

8. Management of Rat
Natural and Biological:
 Natural enemies of rats are cats, owls, snakes and birds.
Cultural:
 Artificial flooding of infested field reduces the rat population
by drawing the young ones.
 Deep ploughing helps in exposing the rat burrows with the
result that the adult rats run away and the young one are
picked up by birds or eaten away by other animals.
Chemical:
 Commonly used rodenticides; Aluminimum phosphide – a
fumigant used to kill rats and mice.
 Bromodiolone, Coumachlor, Coumatetralyl and warfarin –
These are anticoagulants which act as rodenticides and they
are mainly stomach poisons.
 Zinc phosphide – Inorganic compound, highly toxic, Garlic
like odour and taste and commonly used in baits

9. Baiting technique
Commonly 2% bait is used to kill rats. 2 per cent
bait is prepared by mixing 2gm zinc phosphide
with 98g of bait. Either cooked rice, or Wheat
flour or Grain flour is used for preparing baits
and along with edible oil (mustard oil) is added
in small quantities as attractant. Pre baiting is
quite essential for attracting the rats to eat. Rats
have to be fed for a period of 2-3 days before
main baiting.

10. BIRDS
House sparrow (Passer domesticus):
 It is omnivorous. It causes severe damage to sorghum, smaller
millet wheat, rice and small succulent fruits both under field
and storage condition.
Crow (Corvus spp):
 They have been reported to cause heavy damage to maturing
or ripe crops of agricultural and horticultural crops like
sorghum, groundnut, wheat, chillies, smaller millets, papaya,
guava, litchi, mango etc.
Parrot (Psittaciformes):
 It’s a great destroyer of fruits and crops (sunflower, maize,
peas, gram, guava, jamun, mango, papaya and other fruits)
wasting more than eating.
Pigeon (Culumba livia domestica):
 Individually or in large groups, it destroys grain crops like
wheat, bajra, sorghum, maize etc.

11. Management of Birds
 Deep sowing of seeds, covering the seeds with soil
 Spreading nylon nets over the crops and orchards
 Use of deterrents: A conventional deterrent commonly used
by farmers is ‘scare crow’, a human figure erected in the
fields
 Mylar tape is an elastic, transparent, synthetic polypropylene
metallic tape with a silver metal layer on one side and red
resin on the other side. By reflecting sunlight it flashes
regularly. On being stretched between poles it pulsates
making a noise which ranges from hissing to loud humming
and sometimes like a thunder. The tapes are usually 10-15
meters long and 15mm in width.

12. Mylar tapes

13. Scaring away of birds
 Throw balls: Small pieces of stones or balls made out of the
old cloth are prepared and thrown at birds manually. The birds
run away for fear of being hit. This is a very archaic and
tedious method.
 Use of bird scarer: A loud bumping noise created with rope
and pulley arrangements fitted in a Z shaped manner, with a
hammer striking in a jerk-like fashion on a drum. This practice
is commonly used in north India in gardens.
 By putting up dummys: Dummys are prepared roughly similar
to man and are pitched in field at different places.
Alternatively dead crows or sparrows are hung from tree tops
or in godown roof for scaring away birds.