Biology of pink mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus on different hosts and predatory efficiency of Cryptolaemus Montrouzieri and Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi

Biology studies on the pink mealy bug Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) showed the mean preoviposition period of 4.9 days and 5.2 days on mulberry and red pumpkin, respectively. On mulberry the mean fecundity was 513 eggs whereas it was 489 eggs on red pumpkin. The mean hatching was 93.3 and 90.7% on mulberry and red pumpkin, respectively. The life cycle was completed in 41.7 and 38.5 days by female and male, respectively on mulberry and it was 47.1 and 46.2 days, respectively on red pumpkin. The observations on the predatory efficiency showed that both grubs and adults of Cryptolaemus montrouzieri together required a total of 1615.9, 210.8 and 32.8 eggs, nymphs and adults, respectively of M. hirsutus to complete their lifecycle; among its larval stages, the maximum predatory efficiency was observed with the IV instar grub. Similar trend was recorded in the predatory potential of Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi also and its III instar grub consumed 413.8, 155.8 and 16.6 mealybugs of I, II and III instars of M. hirsutus, respectively.