Predatory potential and life history characteristics of eleven spotted beetle,coccinella undecimpunctata l. reared on cotton mealybug,phenacoccus solenopsis tinsley

Cotton mealybug,phenacoccus solenopsis t. (sternorrhyncha: coccoidea: pseudococcidae) proved a menace to subcontinent south east asia economy since 2005. after introduction of this notorious caribbean pest it was necessary to identify biological control agents in country which are indigenous and successfully suppress the pest. in present studies eleven spotted ladybird beetle female (coccinella undecimpunctata l.) predating efficiency was determined against cotton mealybug. adult female during whole life consumed 1519 mealy bugs during whole life cycle through devouring 854,308,269 and 86 1st,2nd,3rd instar and adult stage cotton mealybug respectively. while adult male during entire life consumed 1420 cotton mealybug through consuming 792,291,263,74 1st,2nd,3rd instars and adult cotton mealybug. the population structure and biological parameters were also determined through no choice feeding trials. adult female of c. undecimpunctata consumed higher number of mealybug than adult male during its whole life. experiment demonstrated that c. undecimpunctata is an effective bio control agent of cotton mealybug which can be used in integrated pest management program successfully for the management of this notorious pest on cotton crop.© 2013 zoological society of pakistan.