Seasonal Abundance of the Important Scale Insects and Mealybugs and Their Natural

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Plant Protection Research Institute, Agriculture Research Centre, Ismailia, Egypt

2 Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

Abstract

Certain aspects of scale insect and mealybugs’ population dynamics as well as their natural enemies infesting mango trees were studied throughout year 2013 in Ismailia Governorate, Egypt. The obtained data revealed the existence of two common scale insects were Aulacaspis tubercularis (Newstead), Kilifia acuminate (Signoret) and two mealybugs were Planococcus citri (Risso) and Icerya seychellarum (Westwood). The existence period of surveyed insects on mango trees covered all the year round. A. tubercularis showed the highest total mean values than others on 1st March (260.06 individuals/ branch), followed by P. citri that showed its highest total mean values on 1st May (149.28individuals/ branch), then I. seychellarum showed the highest total mean values on 1st April (124.58 individuals/ branch), and at last K. acuminate peaked on 15th May (72.78 individuals/ branch). The overall means of total number of scale insects predators recorded on the mango trees showed the highest values on 15th May (15.34 individuals/ branch), followed by scale insects parasitoids that showed its highest values on 1st September (2.46 individuals/ branch). Meanwhile, the predacious mites showed their highest values on 15th February (4.58 individuals/ branch).

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