SUGARCANE WOOLLY APHID, CERATOVACUNA LANIGERA ZEHNTNER (HEMIPTERA: APWIDIDAE) AND ITS NATURAL ENEMIES IN THAILAND

Abstract THE SUGARCANE woolly aphid, Ceratovacuna lanigera, is one of the irnportant insect'pests'of sugarcane in Asia. To improve management options, we investigated the pest's biology and ecology in Thailand. There are four nymphal instars with average durations of 3.64,4.64,5.65 and 6.05 days, respectively. An apterous viviparous adult can produce an average of 30.53 nymphs over its life of 12.9 days. Life-table analysis shows a net reproductive rate of increase of 11.58, a capacity for increase of 0.0939, a finite rate of increase of 1.098 and a cohort generation time of 26.09 days. Natural enemies comprise one hymenopterous parasite, Encarsia flavoscutellum Zehntner, and three predators, Thiallela sp., Chrysoperla basalis Walker and Hemerobius sp. Of these, the first two ase the most important