Sap Suckers
Sap Suckers
The cacao tree is host to some 1500 different insect species, though, mercifully, only a tiny fraction of these cause serious damage. One such group are sap-suckers known as capsids in West Africa, specifically Sahlbergella singularis and Distantiella theobromae, and mirids in Asia (Helopeltis species), and Central and South America (Monalonion species). These tiny insects are responsible for significant losses to cacao crops, resulting from direct damage through their feeding, as well as the ravages of opportunistic fungi that invade the tree via wounds caused by the mirids. This chapter looks at the biology and ecology of these sap-sucking pests and how this knowledge helps in devising control methods.
Keywords: mirids, capsids, cacao tree, cacao crops, Sahlbergella singularis, Distantiella theobromae, Helopeltis species, Monalonion species
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