Leopard moth

Family COSSIDAE
Zeuzera pyrina (L.)

The larvae bore within the shoots; they also tunnel within stems and branches of less than 10 cm in diameter. Damage is particularly serious on young trees, some of which may be killed.
life-cycle: The biological cycle is one to three years depending on region. The female lays eggs separately or in small groups in cavities of trunks and branches of apple trees, pear trees. Larval development is protracted and lasts for up to 2 or 3 year. The frass can be found at the base of trees. The pupal stage occurs inside the gallery, in a cocoon of silk and wood debris.

Resource: A textbook of Agriculture Entomology

Entomopathogenic Fungi

See the growth of mycel and conidia of different entomopathogenic fungi on the Insects after the natural Infection.

Resource: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3t4v8PmY_Q

Khapra beetle

Trogoderma granarium (Dermestidae)

Commodities attacked: dried animal and plant material, e.g. oilseeds, processed foods, grain and grain products. Economic importance: high, especially in bagged produce in hot dry climates, persistent in storage structures and transportation and Pest of international quarantine concern. Distribution: North and West Africa to Burma and central Asia. Occasional or absent in Europe; North, North-East and South-East Asia; southern Africa; absent in Australasia and Americas.

Resource: Insects of Stored Grains, second edition, David Rees.

The red palm weevil

Coleoptera: Curculionidae
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier is a member of Coleoptera: Curculionidae. The male and female adults are large reddish brown beetles about 3 cm long and with a characteristic long curved rostrum; with strong wings, they are capable of undertaking long flights. Damage to palms is produced mainly by the larvae. Adult females lay about 200 eggs at the base of young leaves or in wounds to the leaves and trunks; the grubs feed on the soft fibers and terminal bud tissues. They reach a size of more than 5 cm before pupation. Except just before pupating, they move towards the interior of the palm making tunnels and large cavities. They can be found in any place within the palm, even in the very base of the trunk where the roots emerge. Pupation occurs generally outside the trunk, at the base of the palms. The larva pupates in a cocoon made of brown dried palm fibres. Overlapping generations with all life stages can be present within the same palm tree. Generally the adult weevils present in a palm will not move to another one while they can feed on it. Usually the damage caused by the larvae is visible only long after infection, and by the time the first symptoms of the attack appear, they are so serious that they generally result in the death of the tree.

Resource: Journal of the International Palm Society Vol. 46, No 4, Palms (formerly Principes)

Resource of Photo: www.agrotecnici-napolicaserta.com/curculionid

Capnodis miliaris (Klug)

(Coleoptera, Buprestidae)
Capnodis miliaris is found predominantly in Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq, but is also reported from the south of Italy. This is a large (30-40mm long) black, wood boring beetle, covered by a whitish deposit. C. miliaris principally attacks water-stressed trees, and prefers plantations suffering from drought. The larvae overwinter between the trunk and the bark. Theyoung adults appear between June and July of the following year to feed on leaves and young shoots, then spend the winter in the ground. There is only one generation every two year. Other important species in Syria Capnodis carbonaria (Klug)

Resource: Cavalcaselle B., 1971. Osservazioni preliminari sulla presenza del Capnodis miliaris (Klug) in Calabria. Cellulosa e Carta, 1: 15-79

Olive Fruit Fly

Family Tephritidae
Dacus oleae (Gmelin)
Hosts (main): Olive, both cultivated and wild. Pest status: The most serious pest of olive in the Mediterranean region. 30% crop loss common. Yield can be reduced by as much as 80–90%. The oil from attacked fruit is inferior and has an unpleasant flavour. The maggots are 1–6 mm long, according to their age; larval development takes 10–15 days, according to temperature. The complete life-cycle in the summer takes about four weeks and there are typically three or four generations per year.

Resource: Pests of Crops in Warmer Climates and Their Control

Mediterranean fruit fly

Family Tephritidae
Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann)
This pest is a notorious pest, capable of causing destruction of citrus fruits, peaches and various other fruits. Although established in many warmer parts of the world, including areas surrounding the Mediterranean, parts of Africa, Central and South America. Many countries operate rigorous quarantine or eradication measures to prevent this pest from becoming established. Larvae feed within the flesh of infested fruits and cause extensive damage; attacked fruits may drop prematurely and are often invaded by secondary bacterial and fungal pathogens. Fruits damaged only by adult oviposition. There are several generations in a season, the rate of development (and, hence, number of generations) depending considerably on temperature. At optimum temperatures of 32°C, development is very rapid, the life-cycle then being completed in approximately 2 weeks.

Resource: A textbook of Agriculture Entomology