Planococcus citri Risso

Planococcus citri is a pest of citrus, coffee and many other fruit crops. Continuous drought causes outbreak of this pest. The damage caused by mealy bugs is similar to that caused by other soft scale insects but this pest prefers to feed on the fruit stalk or on the berries resulting in their drop. Sometimes other mealy bugs particularly Pseudococcus citriculus Green also attack citrus in the same manner as common citrus mealybug.

Planococcus citri is produced on ripe pumpkins. The pumpkins are selected with ridges and groves with a small stalk which makes the handling easy. The pumpkins are thoroughly washed with tap water to remove dust particles. The pumpkins are then dipped in 0.1 % (one gm/litre) solution of Benlate or Bavistin to kill all the fungal rot pathogens. The injured pumpkins are discarded or the wounds are plugged with hot paraffin wax.

Once the pumpkins get completely dried under shade. Each pumpkin is infested with P. citri crawlers (1st instar mealy bugs) maintained in infestation room (in case the crawlers are not available, ovisacs of the mealy bug are placed over the pumpkin the crawlers emerging from ovisacs then settle on pumpkin). Each of the infested pumpkin is placed in 30 cm wooden cage all sides of which are covered by white cloth or white nylon mesh. The cage has several variations but the one with slanting top and fixed with a slanting glass top and front sleeve has become quite popular. The pumpkin in the cage is kept from the front door opening on a round plastic ring. Such pumpkins are covered with mealybugs in 15 days and the mealybugs mature in another 12-15 days time.