Two-tailed mealy bug is one of mealy bug species attacking wide range of hosts.

1. Two-tailed mealy bug
-J.Delince
BSA-11-409

2. Nomenclature
• Scientific Name: Ferrisia virgata (or) Ferrisiana virgata
• Common Name:Two tailed or Striped Mealy bug

3. Systematic position and related species
• Kingdom : Animalia
• Phylum : Arthropoda
• Class : Insecta
• Order : Hemiptera
• Family : Pseudococcidae
• Genus : Ferrisia
• Species : F. virgata
• Related species- Ferrisia malvastra, F.gilli, F.terrani

4. Distribution
• Widely Distributed
• Mostly in tropics and extends towards temperate regions.
• Present in all countries
• In India also it is seen in all tropical states.

5. Hosts
• Attacks 150 genera from 68 families
• Brinjal, Sapota , Pomegranate, avocado, banana, betel vine, black pepper,
cassava, cashew, cauliflower, citrus, cocoa, coffee, cotton, custard apple,
egg-plant, grape-vine, guava, jute, lantana, Leucaena, litchi, mango, oil
palm, pigeon pea, pineapple, soybean and tomato.
• Weed hosts are plants of Fabaceae and Euphorbiaceae.

6. Damage Symptoms
• Presence of white mealy mass in under surface of leaves & on terminal
shoots.
• Yellowing of older leaves, withering of leaves
• And it infests fruits which cause premature shedding
• Honey dew secretion invites sooty mould.
• Excess infestation results in wilting of the plant.

8. Vector
• Cocoa swollen shoot virus
• CocoaTrinidad virus

9. Insect description
• Adult females are apterous oval, greyish yellow with 8 segmented antenna
• Purplish dorsal longitudinal stripes along the back
• Pair of wax filaments at the caudal end.
• Nymphs are pale yellow to white
• Adult males are tiny winged, less than 2mm

10. First and second instar

12. Life Cycle
• Fecundity- 109-185 eggs/generation
• Incubation period- 3-4 hours
• Number of instars – 3(female), 4(males)
• Development period-26-47 days(Female), 31-57(Male)
• Longevity- 36-53 days(Females), 1-3days(Males)

13. Management
• Collect and destroy the infested plant parts
• Avoid flood irrigation
• Remove alternate hosts
• Prevent the movement of ants.
• 1-2%neem oil, NSKE or FORS(25g/l)
• Triazhophos 2 ml+ neem oil 5 ml/1, phosalone 35 EC 1.5 ml+ neem oil 5 ml/1.
• Spray methyl demeton 25 EC or monocrotophos 36WSC 2ml/lit
• Spray application of dichlorvas 76WSC 1ml/lit + fish oil rosin soap 25 g/lit
• Release Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, Chilochorus sps beetles @ 10/tree or 5000beetles/ha
• Other predators- Geocoris tricolor (the lygaeid bug), Pullus coccidivora and Nephus
regularis.
• Release of parasitoids Anagrus dactylopii, Gyanusoidea mirzai
• Field release of green lace wing Chrysoperla carnea

15. References
• www.csiro.au
• http://www.ncipm.org.in/NCIPMPDFs/Publication/Bulletin-
Mealybugs%20(English).pdf
• http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/crop_protection/crop_prot_crop_insect-
veg_brinijal.html
• www.en.Wikipedia.org/Ferrisia_virgata
• http://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/23981 -Invasive Species compendium
• Agricultural insect pests of tropics and their control-Dennis S.Hill Pg-195,
2008

16. Thank you