Copulation and oviposition behavior of helopeltis bakeri poppius (hemiptera: miridae) under laboratory conditions

• Main Author: Ormenita, Leslie Ann C.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2018
• Subjects: Cacao; Insect pests > Control
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/5534
• Institution: De La Salle University

Theobroma cacao L. is susceptible to a number of insect pests and pathogens which could hinder the countrys campaign on production boost. One of the major insect pest of cacao in the Philippines is the cacao mirid bug, Helopeltis bakeri Poppius. Cacao mirid bug, feeds on the cacao pods as well on young shoots manifested by black lesions, which progress into a dieback symptom. One of the control measures investigated is the use of sex pheromone. In identifying the sex pheromone of cacao mirid bug, it is very important to understand its reproductive behavior. This paper presents observations on sexual maturation and copulation behavior of H. bakeri which will help in the extraction and identification of sex pheromone for developing the sex pheromone trap in monitoring and management of this cacao mirid bug. This also presents the oviposition behavior of this species which could be used in developing mass rearing protocols of this pest.