FRUIT FLIES
Life Cycle:
The fruit fly attacks the fruit and lays eggs in the fruit. As the egg grows and develops into the larvae, it moves in towards the seed, drilling through the pulp. After feeding, the maggot/ larvae now moves out of the fruit, creating a small exit hole, the first visible sign of contamination. The larva flips over and falls to a cool and dry place, usually the soil. Pupation occurs a few inches into the soil, and emergence then occurs to forma fully grown fly. One generation takes around 37 days. Egg to adult in 15-19 days. Eggs hatch in about 30-40 hrs. Larvae develop in 7-8 days. Adults emerge in 9-11 days. Pre-oviposition period is 6-8 days. (Oviposition is the position in which female lay eggs- pre-oviposition is the time before that). Females lay anything from 15 to 130 eggs a day- depending on the species. They may be single or in clusters of 10, but 100 or more also seen.
Biological Classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Diptera
Family:Tephritidae
Genus: Bactrocera
The fruit fly attacks the fruit and lays eggs in the fruit. As the egg grows and develops into the larvae, it moves in towards the seed, drilling through the pulp. After feeding, the maggot/ larvae now moves out of the fruit, creating a small exit hole, the first visible sign of contamination. The larva flips over and falls to a cool and dry place, usually the soil. Pupation occurs a few inches into the soil, and emergence then occurs to forma fully grown fly. One generation takes around 37 days. Egg to adult in 15-19 days. Eggs hatch in about 30-40 hrs. Larvae develop in 7-8 days. Adults emerge in 9-11 days. Pre-oviposition period is 6-8 days. (Oviposition is the position in which female lay eggs- pre-oviposition is the time before that). Females lay anything from 15 to 130 eggs a day- depending on the species. They may be single or in clusters of 10, but 100 or more also seen.
Biological Classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Diptera
Family:Tephritidae
Genus: Bactrocera
MEALY BUGS
Life Cycle:
In mealy bugs, reproduction is either by parthenogenesis or by by laying eggs. Both haploid and diploid organisms exist. Males are ‘often’ essential for reproduction. Eggs hatch in 3 to 9 days into nymphs called ‘crawlers’, which are very mobile. The nymphal stage lasts for 22-25 days. The nymphs, which are pale yellow, begin feeding immediately. The young nymphs remain in a ‘crawler’ stage for a short time. Gradually a white fluffy, waxy coating begins to form over their bodies. As the coating gets thicker, the nymphs' movements become sluggish. Individual mealy bug take 25- 30 days to grow into adults under normal conditions. Females molt twice before becoming adults. Males have an additional pupal stage spent in a thin cocoon. During this period they develop wings. The males have no mouthparts. Their only purpose in life is to grow wings to fly, find a female (who is wingless) and mate with her. There may be several generations of mealy bugs per year. There are significant morphological differences between males and females in mealy bugs. Males are winged, lack mouth parts, and are smaller and less in number.
Biological Classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Hemiptera
Family: Pseudococcidae
Genus: Rastrococcus
In mealy bugs, reproduction is either by parthenogenesis or by by laying eggs. Both haploid and diploid organisms exist. Males are ‘often’ essential for reproduction. Eggs hatch in 3 to 9 days into nymphs called ‘crawlers’, which are very mobile. The nymphal stage lasts for 22-25 days. The nymphs, which are pale yellow, begin feeding immediately. The young nymphs remain in a ‘crawler’ stage for a short time. Gradually a white fluffy, waxy coating begins to form over their bodies. As the coating gets thicker, the nymphs' movements become sluggish. Individual mealy bug take 25- 30 days to grow into adults under normal conditions. Females molt twice before becoming adults. Males have an additional pupal stage spent in a thin cocoon. During this period they develop wings. The males have no mouthparts. Their only purpose in life is to grow wings to fly, find a female (who is wingless) and mate with her. There may be several generations of mealy bugs per year. There are significant morphological differences between males and females in mealy bugs. Males are winged, lack mouth parts, and are smaller and less in number.
Biological Classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Hemiptera
Family: Pseudococcidae
Genus: Rastrococcus
MSW AND MPW
Life Cycle:
Weevil life cycle is similar to fruit flies. Eggs are first about 30mm in size. Egg laying can continue for long. The eggs are elongated and creamy white and are protected by a brown covering with two tiny tails at one end. At laying, the weevil cuts a very small nick into the fruit and the resulting sap flow covers the egg case. This helps to protect the eggs and adheres them to the fruit. Several eggs may be laid on each fruit and each female can lay up to 15 eggs per day and up to 300 eggs during the season. Young larvae are white, legless and elongated while older are compact and C-shaped. The larvae tunnel into the fruit through the flesh and reach the seed in 1-2 days where they complete their development into adults. In the seed the larva grows as it feeds on the cotyledons or seed leaves causing conspicuous damage. Pupation occurs in the seed and adults emerge by chewing through the seed coat any time up to two months after fruit fall. Significant numbers of eggs fail to hatch or larvae don’t develop. The time from egg to adult takes 5 - 8 weeks and only one generation is produced each year.
Biological Classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Coleoptera
Family: Curculionidae
Genus: Sternochetus
Weevil life cycle is similar to fruit flies. Eggs are first about 30mm in size. Egg laying can continue for long. The eggs are elongated and creamy white and are protected by a brown covering with two tiny tails at one end. At laying, the weevil cuts a very small nick into the fruit and the resulting sap flow covers the egg case. This helps to protect the eggs and adheres them to the fruit. Several eggs may be laid on each fruit and each female can lay up to 15 eggs per day and up to 300 eggs during the season. Young larvae are white, legless and elongated while older are compact and C-shaped. The larvae tunnel into the fruit through the flesh and reach the seed in 1-2 days where they complete their development into adults. In the seed the larva grows as it feeds on the cotyledons or seed leaves causing conspicuous damage. Pupation occurs in the seed and adults emerge by chewing through the seed coat any time up to two months after fruit fall. Significant numbers of eggs fail to hatch or larvae don’t develop. The time from egg to adult takes 5 - 8 weeks and only one generation is produced each year.
Biological Classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Coleoptera
Family: Curculionidae
Genus: Sternochetus
RBMC
Life Cycle:
The female lays eggs on the fruit peduncle. Eggs turn crimson from the initial milky white after a few days. The larvae drill into the fruit, feeding on the pulp and boring a hole into the seed. The point of entry of the larvae is a dark borehole and fluid exudes from the body of the fruit, turning into dark coloured streak later. Larvae feed till pupation which occurs either in the fruit or on the soil. Egg to larval stage takes 7-8 days. Larvae feed for 15-20 days and pupate in the soil for around 20 days, before emerging as the adult moth to continue egg-laying. The life history and biology of the RBMC is still not completely understood.
Biological Classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Family: Crambidae
Genus: Deanolis
The female lays eggs on the fruit peduncle. Eggs turn crimson from the initial milky white after a few days. The larvae drill into the fruit, feeding on the pulp and boring a hole into the seed. The point of entry of the larvae is a dark borehole and fluid exudes from the body of the fruit, turning into dark coloured streak later. Larvae feed till pupation which occurs either in the fruit or on the soil. Egg to larval stage takes 7-8 days. Larvae feed for 15-20 days and pupate in the soil for around 20 days, before emerging as the adult moth to continue egg-laying. The life history and biology of the RBMC is still not completely understood.
Biological Classification:
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Arthropoda
Class:Insecta
Order:Lepidoptera
Family: Crambidae
Genus: Deanolis