Helopeltis Theivora

Tea mosquito bug

General

The pest considered to be serious pest in tea growing areas. Helopeltis antonii attack cashew nut guava, neem and tea.

Life cycle and appearance

Adult is slender 6 - 8mm long, black colour with red thorax, black and white abdomen and greenish brown wings. Females is capable of laying about 500 eggs. The eggs are laid in all tender parts of the plant. The freshly hatched nymphs are look like spidery in general appearance due to its elongate appendages. The life cycle is completed in 15 to 20 days in summer and 45 to 60 days in winter. It has several generations per year and in extreme winter the adults undergo hibernation.

Damage symptoms

Helopeltis is a sucking pest. Nymphs and adults are damaging stages which suck the sap from young leaves, tender stems and buds. The toxic saliva of the insect is injected to the plant tissues at the time of feeding causes reddish brown patches. As a result punctured snot to dry and die, curling of leaves, badly deformed and eventually fall off. The infested shoot also shows same such spots and subsequently drying of the shoots. Severely affected bushes look as if they have been torched by fire.

How to get rid of tea mosquito bug

Koppert offers different solutions for biological pest control of tea mosquito bug.