DAMAGE OF INSECT PESTS
Cotton pests
• Army worm
Fall armyworm is a sporadic pest of cotton that
feeds on leaves and fruiting structures. ...
Results indicated that fall armyworm larvae
have the potential to damage cotton fruiting
structures at rates comparable to those of
the cotton bollworm and tobacco budworm,
assuming similar survival rates
• American bollworm
Affected squares show “symptoms of flaring up”,
with bracts spreading out. Internal tissues are
hollowed out by the larval feeding, and holes
can be seen on squares, bolls or locules. In the
absence of the squares or after
total damage of the squares, larvae can
survive by feeding even on the foliage.
• Pink bollworm
Pink bollworms damage squares and bolls,
the damage to bolls being the most serious.
Larvae burrow into bolls, through the lint, to
feed on seeds. As the larva burrows within a
boll, lint is cut and stained, resulting in severe
quality loss.
• Spotted bollworm
Drying and drooping of terminal shoots during pre
flowering stage. Side shoots are given out.
Shedding of squares, young bolls, flaring up of
squares during square formation
 Rice pests

• Brown plant hopper

BPH infest the rice crop at all stages of plant growth. ... During the early infestation stage, round
yellow patches appear, which soon become brownish due to the drying up of the plants. This
condition is called 'hopper burn'.
• Leaf folder
Leaves folded longitudinally and larvae remain
inside. Larvae scrape the green tissues of
the leaves and become white and dry. During
severe infestation the whole field exhibits
whitish scorched appearance.
• Yellow stem borrer
After hatching, early instars bore into the leaf sheath
and causing longitudinal yellowish-white
patches as a result of feeding. Then it invades
the stem of the rice plant and stays in the pith
to feed on the inner surface of the stem wall.
 Fruit pests

• Fruit fly
Fruit flies create damage to the fruit by causing rots and discolouration. Eggs are laid close to the surface inside
the fruit with small discoloured patches developing as a result of the stings.

• Mango mealy bug
Heavy infestation can cause defoliation and even
death of the plant. They infest the plant
during flowering season and if the control
measures are not taken timely, the crop may
be destroyed completely. Excessive and
continuous draining of plant sap causes
wilting and finally drying of infested tissue.
• Citrus leaf miner
This insect is a tiny moth that lays an egg under
the leaf from which a larvae hatches that
burrows into the leaf. The larvae then tunnels
around in a serpentine pattern between the
leaf surfaces (hence its name “leaf miner”)
leaving a whitish, silvery winding pathway
through the leaf. Damage from this pest
causes citrus foliage to cup and twist, creating
a malformed leaf.
 Vegetable pests

• Aphid
A Aphids weaken and stunt plants by sucking plant sap. They excrete a sugary substance called
honeydew, which sticks to leaves that then become colonised by sooty moulds. They also spread virus
diseases.
• Cabbage looper
Cabbage loopers can cause significant crop damage if left unchecked. They can damage the heads
of cabbage and cause destruction of other crops such as spinach, tomatoes, potatoes, beets, cotton
and soybeans, to name a few.