BIONOMICS OF DACTYLOPIUS COCCUS COSTA (HEMIPTERA: COCCOIDEA) IN A GREENHOUSE IN SICILY

Abstract

BIONOMICS OF DACTYLOPIUS COCCUS COSTA (HEMIPTERA: COCCOIDEA) IN A GREENHOUSE IN SICILY.

A study on the biology of Dactylopius coccus Costa was undertaken to evaluate the possibility of mass-rearing it commercially in Sicily. The colonies of D. coccus were maintained on 2-3 years old cladophylls of Opuntia ficus indica, rooted in plant pots, in a greenhouse near the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, the University of Catania. Almost daily observations were made between April 1995 and August 1996. Three reproductive cycles of the scale insect were observed; the duration of each instar, the length of each life cycle, female fecundity and the effects of the biotic factors have been studied.

Key words: mass rearing, Opuntia, biology, Dactylopiidae, fecundity, environmental conditions, Canary Islands, Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Sardinia, dye, Exochomus flavipes, mortality, phototaxis, temperature, humidity.