Learn about how to control pets of fruits and fruit trees!
1. Anar Butterfly:
Virachola Isocrates Fabr. (Lepidoptera- Lycaenidae):
The anar butterfly is distributed throughout India and is a serious pest of pomegranate. Besides anar, the list of food plants includes guava, ber, tamarind, apple, orange etc. Damage is caused by the larva which bores into the fruit and feeds on its contents. From the wound caused by the larva, offensive smelling matter oozes out as a result of which the fruits are infected with a number of bacteria and fungi.
Life History:
This butterfly is very small and is metallic purplish brown in colour. The hind wings have tail lobes. They have also an orange patch on the fore wings and black spots on the hind wings. The female butterfly lays eggs singly on various parts of the shoot but the young caterpillar which hatches out within 7-10 days, bores into the fruit. The larval period lasts from 14-42 days or more depending on the climatic conditions. Pupation takes place either on the stem or in the fallen fruit. The pupal period varies from 7-30 days or more. The breeding of the pest continues throughout the year depending on the weather conditions.
Control:
Collection and destruction of all infested fruits in the beginning of the fruiting season is very effective to control this pest because the larva directly bores into the fruits. Efforts should be made to lure away the adult butterflies. Spray with 0.05% endosulfan or 0.1% carbaryl is also very effective.
2. Bark Eating Caterpillar:
Indarbela Species (Lepidoptera- Metarbelidae):
The list of trees attacked by the Indarbela is very large, some of them are mango, guava, pomegranate, jamun, citrus, ber etc. The damage is caused by the caterpillar which feeds on the bark and in this process it seriously injures the plant vessels through which nutritive plant sap is transported within the plant’s system.
As a result of which the tree growth and fruit bearing capacity are adversely affected. At times the infested branches can dry up and in cases of severe attack, the whole tree may die. It is a peculiarity of this pest, that it prefers older trees to younger ones. The species of Indarbela are identified as I. tetraonis Moore, I. quadrinotata Walker and I. humeralis Thunberg.
Life History:
The adult is a large sized moth with a wing span of about 4 cm. in female and about 3 cm. in male. They have light grey to light brick red colour provided with dark brown patches or dots. Each female lays a very large number of eggs but in small groups of 15-20 eggs each. The egg laying takes place in May and June and the incubation period is about 10 days. The caterpillar soon after emergence begins to feed on the bark and prepares the web under which it lives. The larval period is very long about one year.
During this long period, it grows slowly. The full grown larva is about 4 cm. long. The larva is nocturnal. Pupation takes place within the larval gallery and the pupal period is only 3-4 weeks. At the end of the pupal period the pupa wriggles up to the opening of the gallery wherefrom the moth emerges. The life of moth is quite short and it completes egg laying within 2-3 days, after which it dies.
Control:
The pest can be controlled by cleaning the web and fumigating the hole with ordinary fumigants like carbondisulphide or aluminium phosphide. Likewise inserting the cotton wool dipped in the liquid fumigant and thereafter plugging the hole with mud is very effective. The galleries made by the pest also can be treated with suitable insecticidal solution(s).
3. Apple Woolly Aphid:
Eriosoma Lanigerum (Haus.) (Homoptera- Aphididae):
It is a very harmful pest of apple and pear in India. Since a kind of white powdery secretion is produced by numerous glands on the body of the aphid which gives a general appearance of cotton-wool covering; hence, it is called “woolly aphid”; the adult body colour of which is actually purplish. The damage is caused by sucking the cell sap from all parts of the plant like the trunk, stem, branches, twigs, fruit stocks, leaf petioles etc.
The infestation is associated with the formation of various types of deformities like large knots, galls etc. both on the underground and above ground portions of the plant. Other symptoms from desapping of the plant, like sickly appearance, stunted size, loss of vigour etc. are also produced and the fruiting capacity of the tree is very much reduced. As a result of severe infestation and disintegration of the roots, the trees get uprooted by wind.
Life History:
The life history of this pest varies in details from place to place, depending on the climatic conditions. The pest overwinters either as eggs or immature nymphs on the underground portions of the host plant. The eggs hatch and the nymphs mature during spring. Reproduction in this season is by parthenogenesis and vivipary. About 100 to 116 nymphs are produced by a female in her life time. The nymphs soon settle down to feed on the plant sap and within 24 hours thereafter begin to secrete the woolly filaments of wax over their body.
They undergo 4 moults before they become adult. The duration of nymphal period is about 10 days in favourable conditions and near about 100 days when it is very cold. During the whole of the summer and the monsoon, the reproduction is very rapid and both the winged and wingless forms are found. When winter approaches, the sexual forms appear, mate and lay eggs. Also, at this time there is migration from the aerial region to the root region for hibernation there in nymphal stages. There are numerous generations in a year.
Control:
Like other aphids, E. lanigerum has a number of natural enemies in the form of parasites and predators. It can be controlled by introducing an exotic parasite, Aphelinus mali which attacks the last stage nymphs. The pest can also be controlled by spraying nicotine sulphate 0.04% or malathion 0.08% or 0.03% dimethoate. It has been suggested that fumigation against the root forms with paradichloro- benzene in a 15 cm. deep trench dug round the infested apple tree about 2 metres from it, is very useful. Further, insecticides should not be used in the areas where parasite A. mali is present.
4. Lemon Butter Fly:
Papilio Demoleus Linn. (Lepidoptera- Papilionidae):
The lemon butterfly is widely distributed in India and several other countries. It is not only a pest of citrus but of all the plants belonging to family Rutaceae. The young larvae feed on the tender leaves while the older ones on the mature leaves. As a result of heavy infestation the entire plant may be left without leaves and bears no fruits.
Life History:
A female butterfly usually mates once and lays about 75-120 eggs within 2-5 days. A comparatively smaller number of eggs are laid in summer. The eggs are scattered singly on young leaves and tender shoots. The freshly laid eggs are pale green which become dark grey before hatching.
The hatching takes place in about 3-4 days in favourable conditions and 5-8 days under unfavourable conditions. The larval life lasts 8-16 days in favourable conditions and 4 weeks under unfavourable conditions. A full grown larva is bright yellowish green measuring about 40 mm. long and 6.5 mm. wide. The young larvae are provided with white and black or brown markings, thus appear like the droppings of bird. Pupation takes place on the twigs or sticks.
The pupal period lasts about 8 days in favourable conditions and 9-12 days under unfavourable conditions. The butterfly is fairly large and beautiful, measuring 94 mm. from wing tip to wing tip. The head and thorax of the butterfly are black and the underside of the abdomen is creamy yellow in colour.
The wings are dull black which are ornamented with shiny yellow markings. One complete generation may take as little time as 2½ 1 weeks and as much as 4½ months. There are 3-4 generations in a year and the winter is passed in the pupal stage.
The larvae can be controlled by hand picking and by spraying the plants with 0.05% malathion, or 0.05% endosulfan or 0.1% carbaryl.
5. Citrus Red Scale:
Aonidiella Aurantii (Maskell) (Homoptera- Diaspididae)
The citrus red scale is one of the most destructive pest of citrus plants and fruits. It infest all the above ground parts of the plant. The leaves, branches and fruits may be covered with them. The pest feeds on the plant juice and devitalizes the plant, and when the infestation is severe the leaves turn pale. These scales are about 2 mm. in diameter.
The pest is active throughout the year. The female scale insects give birth to nymphs. The first stage nymphs or the crawlers have well developed legs and antennae. They cover themselves with a white waxy secretion. The female nymphs moult twice at an interval of 10- 20 days, lose their legs and antennae and their cast skins are incorporated into the waxy covering which become circular, depressed scales.
They reach sexual maturity in about 10-15 weeks, they are without wings and live for several months. The male scales, on the other hand are elongated and develop into winged adults in about 1-2 months. They fly around and fertilize the sedentary females. The pest passes through several generations in a year.
The scale insects can be controlled by spraying the trees with phosphamidon 0.03% or dimethoate or malathion 0.05%. The sprays have to be repeated several times and special care should be taken while spraying methyl parathion.
6. Citrus Leaf Miner:
Phyllocnistis Citrella Staint. (Lepidoptera- Gracillariidae):
This insect is widely distributed in India and is a serious pest of citrus. It is also a pest of several other plants. The damage is caused by the larvae by making zigzag silvery mines in the young leaves. Due to the extensive mining by the pest, the leaf suffers badly, gets deformed and irregularly curled up in shape, unhealthy in look and defective in its function and finally it dries and falls off. The attack is comparatively much greater in leaves of fresh growth, young seedlings and varieties having soft succulent leaves.
The moths lay tiny, flattened, transparent eggs on the underside of the young leaves. The eggs are laid singly which hatch in about 2-7 days. Soon after emergence, the leg less larva enters the leaf tissue and begins to feed inside it and mine the leaf lamina. The larva is full fed in about 5-25 days. The full grown larva measures about 5 mm. in length and is yellowish green in colour.
Pupation takes place within the galleries. The pupal stage lasts about 5-21 days after which the moth comes out. The adult stage is a tiny greyish moth with a wing span of 8-10 mm. The fore wings are white with two narrow grey stripes and the hind wing has a pale grey fringe. The whole life cycle is completed in about 14-58 days depending on weather conditions. There are several generations in a year.
The pest can be controlled by repeatedly spraying the trees with methyl demeton / phosphamidon / dimethoate 0.03% at 15 days intervals. The collecting and burning the mined leaves is also useful to control this pest.
7. Mango Leaf Hopper:
Idiocerus Atkinsoni Leth. (Homoptera- Cicadellidae):
It is a major pest of mango. The damage is caused by both nymphs and adults which suck the juice of the young shoots and flower buds of the entire inflorescence. Like aphids, the mango leaf hopper secretes honey dew which covers the branches of the trees and facilitates fungus growth.
The adult insect is small, wedge shaped with dark grey wings. The head is broad and prominent and possess three dark brown spots. The hind legs are thickly clothed with a number of bristles.
The female lays eggs singly inside tissues of the leaves or flower buds in a streak made by ovipositor. A single female lays 100-200 eggs which are dull white in colour. The eggs hatch in about 7-10 days releasing the nymphs which immediately ingest the juice from the plant. They resemble the adult in all respects except in that they do not possess wings and have fairly long legs. There are usually 4-5 moults undergone by the nymphs in about 15-20 days and the entire life cycle is completed in about a month or so. There are several generations produced in summer while the adults hibernate in winter.
Chemical control has been primarily employed to check the population of the mango leaf hoppers. This pest can be effectively controlled by spraying the trees with a number of insecticides. Some of the important being carbaryl 0.1% or diazinon or phosphamidon 0.02% or endosulfan or dimethoate 0.03% or malathion 0.05%.
8. Mango Mealy Bug:
Drosicha Mangiferae Green (Homoptera- Coccidae):
These creatures have large fleshy flat bodies with a length about 1.5 cm. and breadth of about 1 cm. covered with ashy-white mealy powders and crawling up or down the tree-trunks or on the ground round the tree base or even invading the houses. Damage is caused by the nymphs only.
There is a well-established sexual dimorphism in the adult stage which is generally found during the mid-summer period i.e. April – June. The adult females are wingless and large bodied. The male is a winged creature with only one pair of wings and a very delicate reddish body which flies actively. The male adults have much shorter longevity than the female adults which live for about one month.
The adult gravid females, after fertilization, crawl down along the tree trunk to the ground where they lay eggs at the depths of about 5-15 cm. and each cluster having 300 – 400 eggs. The oviposition is confined to an area of a few cm. in diameter round the base of the tree. The eggs laid in the soil take quite a few months before they hatch. The young nymphs soon after hatching crawl about in search of some suitable food plant on which they spend some time.
Thereafter, they begin their ascent along the tree trunks and this upward migration lasts for several weeks. On reaching the fresh growths, the nymphs congregate there and begin to suck the plant sap. They moult thrice during their nymphal period which lasts about 3 months or more depending on the environmental conditions. Thereafter, the male forming nymphs undergo some sort of pupation and transform themselves into winged adult males, and the female producing nymphs do not undergo any change except in size. Thus there is only one generation during the year.
The pest can be controlled by destroying the eggs laid under the infested trees and application of sticky band round the tree trunk so as to check the nymphs from crawling up the trees. Incorporation of insecticides in the sticky band is likely to increase the effectiveness of this band. Even making a fairly wide insecticidal barrier round the trunk can lead to effective poisoning of the nymphs. The nymphs congregating below the bands may be killed by spraying them with methyl parathion 0.1%, diazinon or monocrotophos 0.04% or by burning or by shaking them off into a bucket of kerosinized water.
9. Mango Fruit Fly:
Dacus Dorsalis Hendel (Diptera- Tephritidae):
The mango fruit fly is the most serious pest of all the fruit flies. It is widely distributed in India and other countries. Damage is caused by the grubs which feed on the pulp, thus rendering fruit unfit for human consumption. The apodous full grown maggots measure 8 – 9 mm. long and 1.5 mm. across the posterior end. They are yellow and opaque in colour. The adult is bigger than the housefly measuring about 14 mm. across the wings and 7 mm. in body length. It is brown, has transparent wings and, yellow legs with dark rust red and black patterns on the thorax.
Life History:
The flies mature in about 15 days and lay 4-15 eggs at one time in clusters, deep into the soft skin of the mango fruit with the help of sharp ovipositors. Each female fly lays on an average 50 eggs but in favourable conditions 150-200 eggs are laid in one month. They hatch in 2-3 days in March-April, 1-2 days in the summer and in 10 days in the winter.
The maggots pass through 3 instars in the ripening pulp and are full grown in about 6-29 days. Thereafter they leave the fruit, move away by jumping in little hops. They pupate inside the soil below 8-14 cm. The flies emerge in about 7-44 days. The whole life cycle is completed in 2-13 weeks depending on the climatic conditions and there are several generations in a year.
The pest can be controlled by spraying the plants frequently with a mixture containing 0.05% malathion and 1% molasses or dimethoate 0.03% upto two weeks before the fruits are picked.
10. Mango Stone Weevil:
Sternochaetus Mangiferae Fabr. (Coleoptera- Curculionidae):
The adult weevil is about 8 mm. in length and 4 mm. in breadth, greyish brown in colour and with such a pattern as to make the weevil fit in the general back ground of the bark of the mango tree. In the non-fruiting season, this beetle remains practically in hiding under the bark and in other niches.
When the fruiting season arrives and the mango fruits are still quite tender, this beetle lays eggs on the surface of the mango fruit. The wound caused by the ovipositor heals soon after and the fruit does not exhibit any outward sign of infestation. One weevil lays about 15 eggs in a day and about 300 during a period of about 3 months and up to 3 dozen eggs can be met within a single fruit.
These eggs hatch within a week or so and the just hatched larva is cylindrical in shape. Inside the seed endosperm the larva feeds and moults 5 times during a period of about 5 weeks, pupates for about 7 days and finally transforms itself into the adult weevil. The generation is completed in about 40-50 days but the emerging adults become inactive and resume breeding in the next season only and thus, there is only one generation in a year. It is also interesting to note that the pest is monophagous and attacks only mango.
The pest can be suppressed by destroying all fallen fruits, weeviled mangoes and by disposement of refuse stores and debris etc. The insecticidal control is not possible because the weevil being an internal feeder throughout its development.
11. Mango Stem Borer:
Batocera Rufomaculata Dejean (Coleoptera- Cerambycidae):
It is a borer of a very large number of trees including mango. Beetle is about 4 to 6 cm. long, dark with a fine greyish vestiture, pronotum with 2 kidney shaped orange yellow spots, scutellum white elytra in basal third with numerous black tubercles and several yellowish spots variable in number and shape.
Life History:
Each female lays about 200 eggs placed one by one in incisions cut in the bark with the mandibles. Oviposition normally takes place on dead trees but also on the branches and trunks of living trees that are not in good health and on the roots of trees exposed to erosion. Each egg is brownish white cylindrical 6 x 2 mm. long with narrow rounded ends. Newly hatched larva is about 10 mm. long, it feeds at first in the meristem and later penetrate deeper.
The tunnels in the depth of the wood are irregular and 2 or more centimetres in cross section. The pupal chamber is 4-6 cm. cavity in a widened extension of part of the larval gallery and is surrounded by long interlaced fibres. The larva is bright yellow without any food in alimentary canal. The pupal period lasts about 3 to 4 weeks and is followed by an immature beetle stage of variable duration. The beetle emerges by a short tunnel running direct to the outside and ending in a circular exit hole.
Removal of bark from logs shortly after felling prevents egg laying by all Cerambycidae. This is one of the standard measure for protecting sapwood and heartwood.
The damage to cultivated mango and other trees by Batocera rufomaculata can be prevented the stem with stout paper, coated with coal-tar or with wire gauge 1.5 mm. mesh or spraying bark with a strong repellent like Bordeaux mixture during the oviposition period.
12. Fruit Sucking Moths:
Ophideres Species (Lepidoptera- Noctuidae):
The fruit sucking moths are minor pests of mango, grapes, apple and citrus. They are distributed throughout India. The common species are Ophideres conjuncta Cramer, O. materna Cramer, O. ancilla Cramer and O. fullonica Linnaeus. The general body of Ophideres conjuncta Cramer is faint orange brown. Its forewings are dark grey and the hind wings are orange red having two black curved patches. The larvae are semiloopers. A fully grown larva is about 50- 60 mm. in length.
Generally, moths and butterflies damage the plant or plant products only during their larval stages but fruit sucking moths damage fruits in their adult moth stage. The fruit sucking moth with the help of its strong piercing mouth parts punctures the fruit for sucking juice. The damaged fruits develop a rot round the puncture and drop off prematurely.
The moths are nocturnal. The female lays eggs on a number of wild plants and weeds growing near the mango, apple and citrus trees. Eggs are round translucent about 1 mm in diameter. They hatch in about 1-2 weeks and within 24 hours of emergence, the young larvae start feeding on the leaves of host plant. The larva passes through 5 instars in 4-5 weeks. The pupa is dark red or brown in colour. The pupal stage lasts for about 2 weeks. The moth on emergence fly to nearby orchards for feeding on fruit juice. The exact duration of the life of the moth is not known. Probably there are 2-3 generations in a year.
Spraying trees with diazinon 0.02% is effective to control this pest. Poison baiting with 20 gm malathion 50% W.P. or 50 ml diazinon + 200 gm gur or molasses in 2 litres of water attracts and kill moths.
13. San Jose Scale:
Aspidiotus Perniciosus (Comstock) (Homoptera- Coccidae):
The pest is worldwide in distribution. Several hundred species of the fruits as well as ornamental plants are severely damaged by this pest. It mostly prefers plants of the family Rosaceae, such as apple, plum, pear, peach and other related species. The damage is caused by nymphs and the female scales which suck the sap from twigs, branches, and fruits. The infested fruits also have scaly appearance and each spot is surrounded by a scarlet or red area.
Each female may give birth to 200-400 nymphs. The new born nymphs crawl out of the parental scale and lead a free life for 12-24 hours. These also suck the cell sap and are full grown in about 40 days. The females that develop again start giving birth to young ones within the next 10-14 days.
The gravid mothers live 50-55 days. The male nymph has an elliptical or oval scale and develops into a winged adult in 25-31 days. The life of the male adult is 24-32 hours only, during which it fertilizes the non-winged females. There are 4- overlapping generations in a year and the fifth generation nymphs over winter.
The pest can be suppressed by spraying the trees with diazinon or methyl parathion 0.05% or methyl demeton 0.03% during summer. It can also be controlled by spraying the trees from November – March when there are no leaves with Diesel oil emulsion + Bordeaux mixture (diesel oil 27 lit. + copper sulphate 6 kg. + lime 1.5 kg. to be emulsified and diluted 5-6 times before spraying) or with 3% Esso spray oil emulsion.
14. Tent Caterpillar:
Malacosoma Indicum Walk. (Lepidoptera- Lasiocampidae):
This is an important pest of apple and other fruits like pear, apricot and walnut. In serious infestation the whole plant may be defoliated and subsequently the caterpillars may feed even on the soft bark and twigs. When the infestation is severe 40-50% of the apple plants may be defoliated producing a poor harvest.
The females lay eggs in broad bands around the branches. Each band may consist of 200-400 eggs. The larvae are gregarious. Soon after emergence each larva spins a silken nest on the tree. As the larvae grow the nest is also enlarged till it is 0.3-0.5 metre across. The full grown larva is 40-45 mm. long with its head and abdomen black.
The larval stage lasts 39-68 days and when full fed, they spin oval white and compact cocoons, each about 25 mm. in length. The pupal stage lasts about 8-22 days. The moths emerge in about three weeks. The male moth is light reddish and the female moth is light brown in colour with a wing expanse of 29-32 mm. and 35-37 mm. in male and female respectively. The moths are short lived. The life cycle is completed in one year.
The pest can be controlled by spraying the trees with malathion 0.5%. It can be suppressed by the destruction of egg clusters. Kerosinized water in an open vessel be placed below the tree so that the larvae that fall may be killed readily.
15. Grapevine Thrips:
Rhipiphorothrips Cruentatus Hood (Thysanoptera- Heliothripidae):
This is one of the most destructive pests of grapevine in India. Damage is caused by both the adults as well as nymphs by sucking cell sap from the leaves. The attacked leaves show a whitish hue at first and then turn brown. As a result of attack, the leaves ultimately curl up and drop off the plant. Such vines either do not bear fruits or they drop off prematurely. Even if the fruits mature, they are of poor quality.
The pest breeds throughout the year except in winter. A female lays about 50 eggs on the under surface of the leaves by making small slits to the plant tissues, placing one egg in one slit; which are dirty white, and bean shaped. The eggs hatch in 3-8 days. The young nymphs appear reddish at first which become yellowish brown as they grow older. They feed on the lower surface of the leaves by rasping the surface and sucking the cell sap that oozes.
They are full grown in 9- 20 days and pupate on the leaves. In about 2-5 days they transform into adults which start feeding like nymphs. The adults are tiny about 1.4 mm. long, blackish brown with yellowish wings. The females can reproduce with or without fertilization. The fertilized eggs giving rise to females and unfertilized ones to males. The insect hibernate as “pupa” in the soil from December – March. There are several generations in a year.
The pest can be controlled by spraying the vines with dimethoate 0.03%, when the vines are setting fruit, they should be sprayed with nicotine sulphate 0.04% or malathion 0.05%.
16. Grapevine Leafhopper:
Erythroneura Species (Homoptera- Cicadellidae):
Numerous species of leaf hoppers, sucking the sap from the under surface of the leaves are found in the areas where grapes are grown. Damage is done by both adults and nymphs, which suck the sap and cause the foliage to become blotched with small white spots. When the infestation is heavy, the leaves turn pale or brown and fall from the vines. Due to severe infestation of leaf hoppers, the quantity and quality of the fruits are greatly affected.
Life History:
Adults hibernate in winter season. During spring, they become active and feed on any green plant, before the grape foliage appears. Eggs are laid in the leaf tissues and they hatch in about 14 days. The yellowish wingless nymphs feed on the under surface of the leaves and moult 5 times before changing into adults. Developmental period requires 3-5 weeks depending on the temperature. There are 2-3 generations in a year.
The leaf hoppers can be controlled by spraying malathion 0.05%, dimethoate 0.03% or endosulfan 0.03% or carbaryl 0.01%.
17. Grapevine Girdler:
Sthenias Grisator Fabr. (Coleoptera- Cerambycidae):
Grapevine girdler occurs throughout the grape growing areas of the country. Besides grapes, it is also a pest of almond, cashew, mulberry, mango, jack fruit and several garden plants. The damage is caused by girdling of the adult beetles which is followed by the drying up of the wood. The adult is a medium sized, stout beetle.
The beetle is greyish brown in colour and is provided with white and brown irregular markings. The insect resembles a mottled bark. The pest prefers girdling of the green branches before laying eggs, which causes a lot of damage to the grapevines as a result of which the vines dry up above the level of girdling.
Life History:
The eggs are deposited at night underneath the bark in cuts made by the beetle on girdled vines. Eggs are laid in groups of 2-5 which are oval in shape and measure about 3-4 mm. in length and 1 mm. in width. The eggs hatch in about 7-8 days. The freshly hatched grubs are very small measuring about 2-4 mm. in length and soon tunnel into the wood.
The head, is dark brown and the thorax is globular provided with chitinous spines. As with other cerambycids, the mouth parts, specially a pair of mandibles are very prominent and powerful. The full grown grub is about 10-12 mm. long, which pupates in the tunnel. The whole life cycle is completed in more than a year.
Collection and destruction of the girdled branches is a simple method to control the pest. Hand picking adult beetles is also very effective. The pest can be controlled by spraying the grape vines at the ground level with malathion 0.05%.
18. Grapevine Leaf Roller:
Sylepta Lunalis Guenee (Lepidoptera- Pyralididae):
It is a serious pest of grapevine, particularly during the late monsoon season. It is distributed to all the grape growing parts of the country. The damage is done by the caterpillars. The newly hatched and young caterpillars feed on the green chlorophyll of the leaves and skeletonize them. On the other hand the mature caterpillars roll up the leaf lamina.
It is interesting to note that each leaf roll contains only one caterpillar. The adult moths are pale-brown or ochreous in colour and are provided with white spots on both the forewings as well as the hind wings. Males are smaller than the females e.g. the wing span of the male moth is 21-25 mm. whereas that of the female moth is 24-28 mm.
Each female moth lays about 100-120, creamy white, oval eggs on the under surface of the leaves. The eggs measure about 1.5 mm. Hatching take place in about 3-4 days. The newly emerged larva is very small pale-green in colour and is about 3-3.5 mm. in length. The mature caterpillar measure about 26 mm. in length and their body is covered with grey-brown hairs.
The head is dark brown or black in colour. The larva passes through 5 instars and pupation takes place within the leaf rolls. Later on, the pupa drops down onto the fallen dry leaves and debries. The pupal stage lasts 5-8 days, after which the moth emerges. There is normally one generation in a year.
The pest can be controlled by spraying on the vines with any one of these insecticides: malathion 0.05%, dimethoate 0.04%, phosphamidon 0.04%.