PREDATORY POTENTIAL OF FIVE COCCINELLID PREDATORS AGAINST COTTON MEALY BUG PHENACOCCUS SOLENOPSIS (TINSLEY) IN LABORATORY AND FIELD CONDITIONS FROM SINDH, PAKISTAN

Lady bird beetles are predators of different agricultural pests such as aphids, mealy bugs, whiteflies, jassids, psyllids and scale insects. among these pests, the cotton mealy bug is a very serious pest in the asian countries specially pakistan and india. in pakistan very little work has been done on biological control against crop pests using predatory ladybird beetles. in the present study five species of the family coccinellidae were evaluated against the cotton mealy bug, phenacoccus solenopsis (tinsley). in order of predatory potential, fourth instar larvae of brumoides suturalis and adults of coccinella septumpunctata showed high predatory potentials as compared to hippodamia variegata, menochilus sexmaculatus and hyperaspis maindroni.