Shield bugs

These are some of the many bugs found on Jatropha curcas. Some bugs suck on fruits and flower stems, decreasing flowers and fruits, but sometimes they act as pollinators and increase yield (see below). Scutellera nobilis is very common in Asia and Africa. They usually respond to treatments with Cypermethrin, but the treatment is problematic because cypermethrin is highly toxic to bees. Endosulphan or Dimethoate might work as well.

NOTE: THE USE OF ANY RECOMMENDED TREATMENT ON THIS PAGE IS ON USERS OWN RISK AND SHOULD BE ALLOWED FOLLOWING LOCAL LAW AND REGISTRATION.

Treatment by biological means was tested by Grimm (see below)

Control of Leaf footed Bug Leptoglossus zonatus and Shield backed Bug Pachycoris klugii with Entomopat6hogenic Fungi

Abstract

A total of 58 different species of Heteroptera were found associated with physic nut in Nicaragua. Key pest is Pachycoris klugii Burmeister (Heteroptera: Scutelleridae). The second most frequent species is Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Coreidae). Maximum densities were registered during the rainy season with up to 25,000 adult P. klugii and 3,500 L. zonatus per hectare. A diapause could not be confirmed either in the field or in laboratory experiments. Larval development was described using life tables and female fecundity was determined. Natural enemies include egg parasitoids, spiders and insectivorous bugs. At a density of 3,500 P. klugii per hectare 19% of seeds were lost due to bugs and 1% to grasshoppers.

Feeding by P. klugii and L. zonatus leads to fruit abortion, hollow and deformed seeds. Hypselonotus intermedius Distant (Heteroptera: Coreidae), a species that feeds mainly on the flowers, acts both as a pollinator and a pest, reducing the number of fruits matured.

Control of bugs with the entomopathogenous fungi Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuil. and Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorok. (Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes) resulted in 65% mortality of P. klugii and 94% of L. zonatus.

Yield increased by 28%.