Mango

Mango fruit flies (Ceratitis spp./ Bactrocera invadens)

Fruit flies lay eggs under the skin of mature green and ripening fruit. Some fruit flies such as Bactrocera invadens, a new species recently introduced into East Africa, also lay eggs on small fruit. The eggs hatch into whitish maggots within 1 to 2 days. The maggots feed on the fruit flesh and the fruit starts to rot. After 4 to 17 days, the maggots leave the fruit, making holes in the skin.

Adult fruit flies are about 4-7 mm long.

Mango gall flies (Erosomyia mangifera)

It is a small midge about 1 to 2 mm long with long legs and antenna. The flies lay eggs on young leaves. Eggs hatch into maggots that bore into the leaf tissue to feed. Their feeding induces formation of small galls, which look like pimples on the leaves. Mature maggot leaves the galls and drop to the soil to pupate, leaving small holes on the leaves. These holes may serve as entrance for fungal infections. Leaves may be covered with galls and the surrounding tissue may die. Heavy infestation may lead to premature leaf drop.

Whiteflies and black flies (Aleurocanthus woglumi)

Whiteflies and black flies suck sap from leaves and may weaken the plants when numbers are high. They produce large amount of honeydew where sooty mould develops. High numbers of these insects can almost blacken trees, reducing photosynthesis and may cause leaf drop debilitating the tree.

Adults are small (1-3 mm long), with 2 pairs of wings that are held roof-like over the body. They resemble very small moths.

Mango aphid (Toxoptera odinae)

It is small (1.1 to 2.5 mm long), brown, black or reddish brown aphid covered with a light powdery dusting. Aphids live in clusters sucking sap on the underside of young leaves, on petioles, young branches and fruit. Their feeding causes slight rolling, or twisting of the leaf midrib. Sooty mould growing on honeydew produced by the aphids may cover leaves, twigs and fruit. Coating of the fruit with honeydew and sooty mould reduces its market value.

Mango seed weevil (Sternochetus mangiferae)

It feeds on mango leaves, tender shoots or flower buds. Female weevils lay one egg on the young fruit leaving a small, dark mark on the fruit skin. The larvae burrow through the flesh into the seed and destroy it. The larva develops and grows in the mango seed. When the larva has grown up to an adult beetle, it tunnels through the flesh and leaves a hole in the fruit skin. The tunnel gets hard and the fruit cannot be sold anymore.

Mealybugs (Rastrococcus spp.)

Mealybugs are small, flat, soft bodied insects covered with a distinctive segmentation. Their body is covered with a white woolly secretion. They suck sap from tender leaves, petioles and fruits. Seriously attacked leaves turn yellow and eventually dry. This can lead to shedding of leaves, inflorescences, and young fruit. Mealybugs excrete honeydew on which sooty mould developed. Heavy coating with honeydew blackens the leaves, branches and fruit. This reduces photosynthesis, can cause leaf drop and affect the market value of the fruit.

A wide range of natural enemies attacks mealybugs. The most important are ladybird beetles, hover flies, lacewings, and parasitic wasps. These natural enemies usually control mealybugs. However, mealybugs can cause economic damage to mango when natural enemies are disturbed (for instance by ants feeding on honeydew produced by mealybugs or other insects) or killed by broad-spectrum pesticides, or when mealybugs are introduced to new areas, where there are no efficient natural enemies.

The latter is the case of two serious mealybug pests on mangoes in Africa: Rastrococcus invadens in West and Central Africa and Rastrococcus iceryoides in East Africa. These mealybugs, of Asian origin, were introduced into Africa, where they developed into serious pests since the natural enemies present were not able to control them. They cause shedding of leaves, inflorescences and young fruits. In addition, sooty moulds growing on honeydews excreted by the insects render the fruits unmarketable and the trees unsuitable for shading. They cause direct damage to fruits leading to 40 to 80% losses depending on locality, variety and season. Rastrococcus invadens was brought under control in West and Central Africa by two parasitic wasps (Gyranusoidea tebygi and Anagyrus mangicola) introduced from India (Neuenschwander, 2003).

Rastrococcus iceryoides is a major pest of mango in East Africa, mainly Tanzania and coastal Kenya. Although several natural enemies are known to attack this mealybug in its aboriginal home of southern Asia (Tandon and Lal, 1978; CABI, 2000), none have been introduced so far into Africa (ICIPE).

Insecticides do not generally provide adequate control of mealybugs owing to their wax coating.

Scales

Scales are small (1 to 7 mm long), generally immobile insects, varying in colour and shape according to the species. Female scales have neither wings nor legs. They resemble small shells glued to the plant. Females lay eggs under their scale. Once hatched, the tiny scales (known as crawlers) emerged from under the protective scale. They move in search of a feeding site and do not move afterwards. They suck sap on all above the ground plant parts.

There are two main groups of scales on mangoes: soft and armoured scales. Soft scales excrete honeydew. The most common soft scales on mangoes are soft green scales (Coccus viridis), brown soft scales (Coccus hesperidum), and wax scales (Ceroplastes spp.). The most important armoured scale on mango is the mango white scale (Aulacaspis tubercularis). The body of this scale is reddish brown. Females are covered with a white round shell, while males have a small rectangular shell with two groves.

Feeding by scales may cause yellowing of leaves followed by leaf drop, poor growth, dieback of branches, fruit drop, and blemishes on fruits. Heavily infested young trees may die. In addition, soft scales excrete honeydew, causing growth of sooty mould. In heavy infestations fruits and leaves are heavily coated with sooty mould, turning black. This reduces photosynthetic capacity. Fruits contaminated with sooty mould loose market value. Ants are usually associated with soft scales. They feed on the honeydew excreted by soft scales, preventing a build-up in sooty moulds, but also protecting the scales from natural enemies. Armoured scales do not excrete honeydew.

Bugs

Several species of bugs feed on mangoes. Both adults and nymphs (young stages) feed inserting their needle-like mouthparts in young tissue, causing dieback and tip wilting. Other feed on the fruit, causing fruit fall and fruit deformation.

Coconut bug (Pseudotheraptus wayi)

It feed on fruits. Damaged young fruits show dark brown or grey indentations on the skin and normally drop. Bug feeding on mature fruit causes sunken lesions. The coconut bug is reddish brown, about 1.5 cm long. Eggs are laid scattered over the fruit, small twigs, flowers and blossom stems. The young bugs are light brown with long thick antenna.

Tip wilters (Anoplocnemis curvipes)

They are large (about 2.5 cm long) bugs, and dark brown in colour. The hind legs of the male are enlarged. Both young and adult bugs feed on young flush, on the mid-vein of young leaves, or on flower stalks, causing wilting and death of new growth. Heliopeltis bugs, also known as mosquito bugs are about 7-10 mm long and have slender bodies and long legs and antenna. Adults and young bugs (nymphs) feed on fruit and young shoots. Feeding on fruit causes dark lesions with a brown dark centre. Young shoots die back, resulting in vigorous secondary branching. Bugs are difficult to control since they usually feed on a wide range of crops and are very mobile.

Helopeltis bugs (Helopeltis schoutedeni and H. anacardii)

Helopeltis bugs, also known as mosquito bugs or mirid bugs are slender, delicate insects, about 7- 10 mm long with long legs and antennae, the antenna being nearly twice as long as the body. The females are red and the males brown to yellowish red. They lay eggs inserted into the soft tissue near the tips of flowering or vegetative shoots. Nymphs (immature bugs) are yellowish in colour. Both adults and nymphs feed on young leaves, young vegetative and flowering shoots, and developing fruits.

Attacked leaves are deformed and show angular lesions, particularly along the veins, which may drop off, so that the leaves appear as if attacked by biting insects. Feeding on the stalks of the tender shoots causes elongated green lesions, sometimes accompanied by exudation of gum. Severely damaged shoots die back due to the effect of bug saliva in combination with fungi, which enter the plant tissue through the feeding lesions and the subsequent development of numerous auxiliary buds causes a bunched terminal growth known as 'witches broom'. In case of serious infestations the trees may appear as if scorched by fire. Bug feeding on developing fruits causes brown sunken spots. The growth of trees is seriously retarded and fruit formation is reduced.

Mango leaf coating mite (Cisaberoptus kenyae)

The mango leafcoating mite is tiny (about 0.2 mm), light coloured and cigar shaped. It cannot be seen with the naked eye. The mites leave in groups under a white coating on the upper leaf surface. The white coating can be easily rubbed off by hand. Leaves covered with the white coating tend to turn yellow and drop prematurely. In general, the coating has minimal effect on fruit yield.

Spider mites (Tetranychus spp.)

They can damage maize from the seedling stage to maturity. The presence of small, faint yellow blotches on the lower leaves is an indication of spider mite injury. As the colonies of mites increase in size they cause the lower leaves to become dry. The mites then migrate to the upper leaves. In Africa several species of spider mites have been reported on maize (mainly Tetranychus spp. and Olygonichus spp.). In Kenya, they are occasionally found on maize, but usually they are not of economic importance.

Red banded thrips (Selenothrips rubrocinctus)

The adult of the red banded thrips is reported as a pest of mangoes in Kenya (AIC, 2003). Adult thrips are dark brown, about 1 mm long. Immature thrips (nymphs) are yellow with a bright red band around the base of the abdomen. Nymphs and adults feed together, normally on the underside of the leaves. Attacked leaves become dark stained and rusty in appearance with small shiny black excreta present. Leaf edges are curled.

Several other species of thrips are found on mango flowers. However, not all of them are pests. Their role varies according to the species. Some species are present in large numbers in mango flowers, but there is no evidence of damage or crop loss. Some thrips species are considered important pollinators. Other species of thrips attack the mango fruit. Thrips feeding on the fruit surface causes a rough, greyish white discolouration.

Bark eating termites

They are generally associated with old mango trees. They may damage branches and other parts by tunnelling the wood, but usually are not of economic importance. Sickly, injured plants are more likely to be damaged than healthy, vigorous plants.