PESTS OF CUCURBITS

1. Red pumkin beetle : Raphidopalpa (Aulacophora ) foveicollis Lucas ( red/reddish-

orange color ) ; A. lewesi Baly ( blue color ) ; A. stevensi B. ( grey color ) (F –
Chrysomelidae O – Coleoptera )
2. Fruit fly : Bactrocera cucurbitae Coq. ; Dacus dorsalis Hendel ; D. ciliatus Loew. ;
D.hageni De Meij. ; D. zonatus Saund. ; D. lalifrons Hendel ; D. diversus Coq. ( F –
Tephritidae O – Diptera )
3. Spotted beetle / hadda beetle / epilachna beetle: Epilachna vigintioctopunctata Fab. ;
E. duodecastigma Wied. ; E. demurili F. ; E. septima Dieke ; E. implicata Muls.;
Epilachna varivestis Mulsant (F – Coccinellidae O – Coleoptera)
4. Aphid : Aphis malvae Koch. ; A. gossypii Glov. (F – Aphididae O – Hemiptera)
5. Thrips : Thrips tabaci Lind. ; Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood ; Frankliniella sulphuria Schm.
(F – Thripidae O – Thysanoptera)
6. Pumkin caterpillar / bitter gourd leaf webber : Margaronia (Diaphania) indica Saund.
(F – Pyralidae O – Lepidoptera)
7. Snake gourd semilooper : Anadevidia peponis F. (F – Noctuidae O – Lepidoptera)

RED PUMKIN BEETLE

D- Country-wide; Asia, Africa, Australia and South Europe. Out of the several species of
Aulacophora, the A. foveicollis is the commonest beetle found in India.
AH – Not known beyond cucurbits
BIOECOLOGY – The adult weevils wake up after hibernation in the early March. Fecundity :
280 – 300, eggs laid singly or in batches of 8 – 9 in moist soil near the base of the plant; IP: 6 –
15 days ; LP : 13 – 25 days , 4 larval instars ; PP : 7 – 17 days , pupates in soil in a thick-walled
earthen water-proof cocoon at a depth of about 10 – 25 cm; LC : 27 – 37 days ; Longevity : 28 –
30 days , 5 overlapping generations/year. The dorsal part of the body of adult beetle is deep
orange, while the ventral side is black. The beetle appears to be oblong measuring 5-8 mm in
length and 3.5- 3.75 mm in width. The posterior part of the abdomen bears soft white hairs. Grub
enters soil each time it moults. Adults hibernate in November under old cucurbitaceous creepers,
grasses, weeds etc. and appear by the end of April. Mortality among hibernating adults is very
high.
NSD – Grubs on hatching remain under the soil to feed on roots and stems and later on leaves
and fruits lying on ground. Grubs and adults , both feed on the above ground parts viz. leaf , stem
, flower and fruit but damage is mainly done by adults which feed extensively on leaves , flowers
and fruits making holes and causing death or retardation of growth . Seedling, if infested, is
completely destroyed. Younger plants are defoliated and de-blossomed sooner than older ones.
MANAGEMENT : 1. Deep ploughing to kill pupae 2. Collection of adults by sweeping net and
killing them 3 . Early sowing 4. Field sanitation 5. NSKE / neem oil 5% as repellent in early
stages 6. Need-based spray with profenophos @ 2 ml ai /L or acetamiprid @ 0.5 ml ai / L . The
pest gets repelled by ash or mixture of ash and insecticidal dust

FRUIT FLY
D – Country-wide; The melon fly is well distributed over most of India, which is considered its
native home, and throughout most of southeastern Asia. Africa, Asia, North America, Oceania.
AH – Tomato , chilli , guava , citrus , sunflower , lettuce , pear , fig , mango etc.
BIOECOLOGY – Fec : 58 – 130 , eggs are laid in fruit in a cavity of 2 – 4 mm deep , singly or
in cluster of 4 – 10 and sealed with a gummy secretion from the ovipositor . IP : 1 – 9 days ; LP :
3 – 21 days , 4 instars ; PP : 6 – 28 days , pupates in soil at a depth of 1.5 – 15 cm ; LC : 12 – 34
days , 5 or 6 generations / year ; Longevity : 56 – 66 days but when starved fly does not survive
more than 2 days. Flies congregate under leaves in winter and become active when warm
weather approaches. It is active throughout the year. Adults hibernate during winter and they
become active in hot weather. Adult flies emerge from pupae during morning hours and mate at
dusk.
Adult – is reddish-brown with lemon-yellow curved vertical markings on thorax and brown
bands on body and grey spots at the apices of the wings.
Larva – maggots are legless and look as headless, dirty-white, thicker at one end and tapering at
the other. The larva is white, except when its appearance is altered by the color of the food
within the alimentary canal. The larva has a typical fruit fly larval shape - cylindrical-maggot
shape, elongate, anterior end narrowed and somewhat curved ventrally, with anterior mouth
hooks, ventral fusiform areas and flattened caudal end.
NSD – The larva bore into fruits feeding on internal content and makes tunnel. Secondary
infection by bacteria and/or fungi on infested fruit cause it to rot and may drop down. Young
fruits are preferred by the fly and can be destroyed in a few days. Older fruits show less obvious
symptoms but on splitting open , a mass of maggot in pulp is found . The adult also causes injury
by making oviposition punctures through which fruit juice oozes out. During early monsoon,
damage can be as high as 100%.
MANAGEMENT – 1. Rake up the soil to destroy pupa 2. Disposal of infested fruit 3. Protect
fruits with poly bags 4. Prophylactic spray with neem oil or NSKE at 5% works effectively 5.
Bait trap containing sugar solution/molasses + carbaryl/endosulphan 0.02% works effectively
against adults. Bait with mixture of fermented palm juice and pesticide also attracts adult flies. 6.
Foliar spray with imidacloprid @ 0.5g ai/L or prophenophos @ 2 g ai/L provides satisfactory
protection 7. Early maturing varieties are less affected than later ones. 8. “Arka Tinda” and
“Arka Suryamukhi” are considered resistant to B. cucurbitae. 9. “CUE LURE” is an effective
attractant being used to trap cucurbit fruit fly.

EPILACHNA or HADDA BEETLE

As read under brinjal

APHID
D- Country-wide ; In the tropics Aphis gossypii is a major pest of cotton. It is distributed almost
worldwide, and is particularly abundant in the tropics.
AH – Cotton , rose , brinjal , lady’s finger , gingelly , chilli , guava etc.
BIOECOLOGY - Adults reproduce parthenogenetically and viviparously, females give birth to
8 – 22 nymphs/day; NP: 7 – 9 days, 4 instars; LC: 7 – 10 days. Wingless females of Aphis
gossypii are usually medium-sized and blackish green or green mottled with dark green (see first
picture below). In hot conditions or when crowded they are smaller and are a very pale whitish
yellow. The dorsum has no dark sclerotized markings. Aphis gossypii does not have a sexual
phase in the tropics, nor in most of Europe. Some sexual reproduction may be taking place in
southern France, although the primary host is unknown. Host alternation and a sexual phase
occur more regularly in parts of east Asia and in North America.
NSD – Aphid is small, soft-bodied, yellowish-green or greenish-brown and is found in colonies
of hundreds on the under surface of leaves, on tender shoots. The leaves curl up, fade gradually
and finally dry up. Aphids secrete honey dew on which sooty mould develops and interferes with
photosynthesis. Younger plants are more susceptible than older ones. Aphids may also suck sap
from buds and young shoots.
MANAGEMENT – 1. Prophylactic sprays with neem oil or annona SKE @ 5 ml /L in early
stage restricts population rapid build up 2. Curative sprays with profenophos or triazophos or
carbaryl @ 2 gm ai/L or imidacloprid @ 0.5 ml ai/L works effectively.

THRIPS (also, see under chilli, onion)

D – Country-wide ;
AH – Onion , tobacco , cotton , chilli , beet , garlic , cabbage , cauliflower , tomato , potato ,
pineapple , beans etc.
BIOECOLOGY – Fec: 50 – 60 , kidney-shaped eggs are laid in slits in leaf-tissue made by the
ovipositor ; IP : 4 – 9 days ; NP : 4 – 6 days, 4 instars ; Pre-pupal period : 1 – 2 days ; PP : 2 – 4
days , pre-pupal and pupal periods are spent in soil at a depth of 2.5 – 5 cm; pupa is quiescent
stage; LC : 13 – 24 days ; Longevity : 14 – 30 days , several generations/year.
Adults and nymphs are yellowish-brown, tiny, about 1mm long; nymphs and males are wingless
but females have narrow strap-like wings and are fringed (long hairs on hind wings, small hairs
on forewings).
NSD – The adults and nymphs lacerate surface tissues of foliage, buds and flowers and suck the
exuding sap. Their puncture leave whitish blotches and the leaves may curl or wrinkle, finally
dry up ; flower and buds also dry up – plants become weak and adversely affects yield. Insect act
as vector of spotted wilt and yellow spot virus.
MANAGEMENT – 1. Thorough ploughing of field to kill ‘quiescent’ pupae in soil 2.
Phytosanitation 3. Prophylactic spray with neem oil/NSKE @ 5 ml ai/L or tobacco leaf extract
2% checks initial population build up 4. Foliar spray with endosulphan or carbaryl @ 2 gm ai /L
or acetamiprid @ 0.5 g ai/L is effective 5. Coccinella septumpunctata L. and Menochilus
sexmaculatus F. efficiently predate on it .

PUMKIN CATERPILLAR or BITTER GOURD LEAF WEBBER

D - Country-wide; widespread but mainly Old World moth species. It belongs to the grass
moth family. This moth occurs in many tropical and subtropical regions outside the Americas,
though it is native to southern Asia.
AH – Amaranthus , lettuce , dolichos bean , chow-chow , beet , potato , soybean etc.
BIOECOLOGY – Fec; 300 – 366 , eggs laid singly or in groups on undersurface of leaves ; IP :
3 – 6 days ; LP : 9 – 14 days , 4 instars ; PP : 5 – 13 days , pupates in a cocoon spun among
leaves ; LC : 17 – 33 days ; Longevity : 3 – 7 days .
Larva – is bright green with a pair of thin white longituidinal lines mid-dorsally.
Adult – Adults have translucent whitish wings with broad dark brown borders. The body is
whitish below, and brown on top of head and thorax as well as the end of the abdomen. There is
a tuft of light brown "hairs" on the tip of the abdomen, vestigial in the male but well developed in
the female. It is formed by long scales which are carried in a pocket on each side of the 7th
abdominal segment, from where they can be everted to form the tufts.
NSD – Larvae bind together the leaves and feed on green tissues, leaves dry up and if unchecked
feeding continues, may cause defoliation of the plant. Ovaries of flowers and young developing
fruits may also be eaten up by larvae.
MANAGEMENT – 1. Collection and destruction of damaged leaves along with larvae 2. Spray
NSKE @ 5 ml /L or neemazal 10000ppm @ 2 ml/L after removal of larvae and affected parts . 3.
Add neem cake @ 250 kg/ha during land preparation 4. Curative spray with profenophos @ 2 g
ai/L or triazophos @ 2 g ai/L.

SNAKE GOURD SEMILOOPER

D – It is found in south-east Asia, including Japan, India. Taiwan and New South
Wales in Australia, it is a minor pest on many cucurbits. It is a specific pest of snakegourd found
throughout South India causing appreciable damage to snakegourd.
AH – Potato , berseem , cowpea , jute , beet , hollyhock , cotton , dolichos bean , lentil , linseed ,
carrot etc.
BIOECOLOGY – Fec : 20 – 25 , white eggs laid singly on leaves ; IP : 2 – 3 days ; LP : 20 – 22
days , 5 instars ; PP: 6 – 7 days , pupates in a tough, white silken cocoon; LC : 30 - 32 days . The
early instars are greens with black spike. Later instars develop white markings. The pupa is
formed in a sparse cocoon in a crevice or dry leaf.
Adult is stout, dark brown moth with a body length of 12-16 mm and wing expanse of 32 mm.
Forewings have irregular light markings. Hind - wing is of lighter colour and is darker towards
the edges then towards base. A sprinkling of golden sheen is discernible in close examination.
Eggs are pale green, globular, sculptured and laid singly usually on the underside of leaves.
Larva – is a greenish semilooper with black warts on its body, about 3.8cm long and is humped
on its anal segment.
NSD – Larva hides within leaf fold and feeds on leaf blades. Damage is often serious and young
plants are denuded of their leaves .
MANAGEMENT – 1. Neem cake @ 150 kg/ha during land preparation 2. Prophylactic spray in
initial stages with neem oil or annona SKE @ 5 ml /L or tobacco leaf extract 2% ai checks
population build up 3. Profenophos @ 2g ai/L or carbaryl @ 2.5 gm ai/L or imidacloprid @ 0.5
ml ai/L, usually 1or 2 sprays, provides satisfactory check.