Mealy bugs in pawpaw (papaya)-Kenya.: Paracoccus marginatus;
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Prevention
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Apply sticky materials like grease, tangle foot or sticky polythene sheets to prevent ants from climping to the canopy to introduce the mealy bugs.
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Construct slippery bands of plastic sheets around the tree trunk at about one meter above ground level.
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Use clean seedlings from a certified source (KALRO, JKUAT, HCD, Plantec).
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Encourage predator populations through conserving uncultivated patches of natural vegetation.
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Avoid the use of infested plant materials. Before planting, seedlings can be treated by immersing them in heated water (mix equal volumes of boiling and cold water) for 5 to 10 minutes to kill the pest.
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Plant early in the rainy season to allow pawpaw to grow well, before the dry season, as strong plants are more likely to withstand pest attack.
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Use soil amendments and mulch to avoid moisture stress in sandy or poor soils. Mealybug numbers are higher in poor soil, and may cause damage in spite of the presence of natural enemies.
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Restrict movement of infested planting materials to mealybug-free areas.
Monitoring
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Inspect regularly for dark, sticky covering on affected part (sooty mold) developed from honeydew produced by the pest.
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Check for ants climbing to the plant canopy.
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Inspect leaves, stems, flowers and fruits regularly for oval wingless insects with bodies covered with wax giving a cotton appearance.
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Look for curling of young leaves, stunted plants as well as early fruit fall.
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Ants may also be present as they protect the mealybugs and feed on the honeydew they produce.
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Black sooty mould may grow on the leaves and stem in the presence of honeydew.
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Consider direct control if infestation levels exceed a threshold of 10% in a sample of 100.
Direct Control
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Remove and destroy infested plants or plant parts by burning.
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Spray the affetced plant part with a mild solution of water with washing detergent at rate of 1 teaspoon of detergent in 1 litre of water.
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Disinfect farm tools between plants and farms (use 50 ml JIK in 1 litre of water) to prevent spread of the fungus.
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Apply neem oil. Add 10 ml soap to 1 litre of water and stir to mix. Add 50 ml neem oil to the 1 litre water-soap solution and mix thouroughly. Add the oil-water-soap solution to 14 litres water in the knapsack and apply within 8 hours. Ensure thorough coverage.
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Control ants as these will reduce the amount of natural predators.
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Spray with biological control products like Beauvitech WP or Lecatech WP sourced from Dudutech at 250 g per hectare with 1,500 – 2,000 litres of water every 5 – 7 days with 2 – 4 repeat applications.
Restrictions
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When using a pesticide, always wear protective clothing and follow the instructions on the product label.
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Do not use chemicals with the same mode of action year after year as this can lead to resistance.
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Always consult the most recent list of registered pesticides (PCPB).
Direct Control
Apply Acephate 75% Sp at a rate of 1 g/litre of water (e.g. Sinophate at 20 g/20L of wate, Asataf at a dosage of 10 g/20 L). 75% SP
WHO Class III (slightly hazardous). PHI: 21-45 days intervals. REI: when plant dries to 24 hrs. Repeat every 7 days if the pest is seen.
Apply Buprofezin 400g/L at a rate of 30-60 ml/100 L of water (e.g. Applaud SC 40% at a rate of 6 ml/20 L of water).
WHO Class III (slightly hazardous). PHI: 14 days. REI: 12 hrs. Repeat applications within 12 days if the pest is seen.
Spray Segatron at 50 ml/20 litres of water.
WHO Class U (unlikely to cause acute harm). PHI: 7 day intervals. REI: 6 hours.
Indexing Terms
Descriptors
- crop production
- invasive species
- pest management
- control
- pests
- extension
- monitoring
- pawpaws
- insect pests
- plant pests
- insect control
- pest control
- cultural control
- mangoes
- guavas
- sticky traps
- planting stock
- biological control agents
- natural enemies
- predatory insects
- hot water treatment
- physical control
- planting date
- soil amendments
- mulching
- mulches
- burning
- soaps
- botanical insecticides
- plant oils
- biological control
- entomopathogens
- entomogenous fungi
- acephate
- insecticides
- chemical control
- buprofezin
- arthropod pests
- predators
- pathogens
Organism Descriptors
Identifiers
- climate smart agriculture
- pest management decision guides
- mealy bugs
- ants
- invasive organisms
- invasives
- pest insects
- biological control organisms
- biocontrol agents
- predaceous insects
- predacious insects
- entomopathogenic fungi
- fungus
- pest arthropods
- advisory services
- extension activities
- papayas
- planting materials
- mulching materials
- flaming
- vegetable oils
- biocontrol
- subsaharan Africa
Geographical Locations
Broader Terms
- Carica
- Caricaceae
- Brassicales
- eudicots
- angiosperms
- Spermatophyta
- plants
- eukaryotes
- Paracoccus (Hemiptera)
- Pseudococcidae
- Coccoidea
- Sternorrhyncha
- Hemiptera
- insects
- Hexapoda
- arthropods
- invertebrates
- animals
- Mangifera
- Anacardiaceae
- Sapindales
- Rutaceae
- Psidium
- Myrtaceae
- Myrtales
- Hymenoptera
- Beauveria
- Cordycipitaceae
- Hypocreales
- Sordariomycetes
- Pezizomycotina
- Ascomycota
- fungi
- Lecanicillium
- Plectosphaerellaceae
- Africa
- ACP Countries
- Anglophone Africa
- Commonwealth of Nations
- East Africa
- Africa South of Sahara
- lower-middle income countries
- medium Human Development Index countries
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Pest Management Decision Guides
Pest Management Decision Guide: Green and Yellow List
Applicable geographic locations
Africa, Kenya
Copyright
© CABI 2018. This article is published under aCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)Published under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence
History
Issue publication date: 1 January 2018
Published online: 1 December 2020
Language
English
Authors
Metrics & Citations
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