Management of mealybugs by using bioagents

Thirteen important species of mealy bugs occurring in India. It has been proved that some mealy bugs are important plant disease vectors. Management of mealy bugs using chemical pesticides is often difficult, but these pests can be managed well by biological control using predatory coccinellids like. Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, Scymnus coccivora and Brumoides suturalis have been proved as a effective mealy bug predators. Besides these, others like Nephus regularis, Brumoides lineatus, Chilomenes sexmaculata, Coccinella septempunctata, Hyperaspis maindroni are kown to feed o mealybugs. Role of other predatory insects like the chrysopids Chrysoperla carnea and Mallada boninensis, anthocorids Anthocoris muraleedharani and Blaptostethus pallescens lycaenid predator, Spalgis epius and cecidomyiids, Diadiplosis koebelei and Triommata coccidivora have also been described. It has been reported that, apart from predators, thirteen species of parasitoids also play important role in suppressing the mealy bug population. The role of entomopathogenic fungi like Metarrhizium anisopliae, Verticillium lecanii, Beauveria bassiana and Fusarium pallidoroseum and entomopathogenic nematodes like Heterorhabditis indica, Heterorhabditis baujardi, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, Heterorhabditis zealandica, Steinernema abbasi and Steinernema yirgalemense in suppressing the mealy bugs population has to studied further for their effective use in IPM programme.