Control You should only control mealy bugs when large numbers are found damaging the growing shoots of very young (unjorquetted) cocoa or when the growth of young gliricidia is being severely held back. Only spray those trees that are badly damaged, and not all seedlings on the farm. This is called ‘spot spraying’. The recommended chemical control is a 0.05% solution of Malathion. You should spray the trees using a knapsack until liquid ‘runs off’. To make the solution, mix together • 10ml
‘Malathion 50’
• 100ml white oil • 10 litres water Crazy Ant Association Mealy bugs living on cocoa and gliricidia shade trees are a major food source for crazy ants. Because crazy ants protect cocoa from a number of insects (including Pantorhytes) they should only be killed when necessary. If the mealy bugs on young cocoa are killed by spraying, the crazy ants can still survive on the mealy bugs living on the gliricidia.
SOLOMON ISLANDS COCOA BOOK
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