A perspective on the release of Anagyrus kamali (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) for the biological control of the Hibiscus or Pink Mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) by the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources
1998
Ram, P. | Cooper, B. (Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources, Centeno (Trinidad and Tobago). Research Division, Central Experiment Station) | Lopez, V.F. | Morais, M. | Peterkin, D. (International Institute of Biological Control (Trinidad and Tobago). Caribbean and Latin American Station (IIBC-CLAS))
The Hibiscus or Pink Mealybug (HMB), Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green) is an exotic pest recently introduced into the Caribbean. It was first reported in Trinidad in August 1995. This pest, in the absence of its natural enemy complex, together with its wide host range, has the potential to cause extensive damage to agricultural and horticultural plants as well as plantation and natural forest trees. In an effort to control this pest as part of its long-term management programme, the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Marine Resources (MALMR) has embarked on a classical biological control programme with the International Institute of Biological Control - Caribbean and Latin American Station (IIBC-CLAS). In this project, Anagyrus kamali, an endolarval parasitoid of the Hibiscus Mealybug (HMB) was imported into Trinidad from China. This encyrtip wasp is known to be the most common and effective control agent of the HMB in Egypt. Its attributes of good searching ability, short generation time and high fecundity are those usually found in successful biological control parasitoids. The MALMR and IIBC-CLAS will be involved in the importation, large-scale production and field release of the parasitoid. Monitoring and evaluation of the parasitoid will also be undertaken. A status of the project is hereby presented.
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