Plumeria alba an alternate host for mass multiplication of papaya mealybug parasitoid, Acerophagus papayae

Abstract

The papaya mealybug, Paracoccusmarginatus Williams and Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is native to Mexico and Central America. Acerophagus papaya is distributed for control of papaya mealybug in India. The mass multiplication requires potato tubers and regulated environment for the multiplication of papaya mealybug and was unsuccessful due to high temperature at Trichy, Tamil Nadu. Hence a study was under taken to find the feasibility of rearing of A. papaya on Plumeria. Key words: Papaya mealybug, Plumeria sp., Acerophagus papayae, arasitization