Leucopholis lepidophora (Areca white grub)

Control of L. lepidophora on areca nuts in India was reviewed by Devasayaham and Nair (1982).

The use of entomophilic nematodes shows potential for biological control of L. lepidophora on sugarcane in the Coimbatore region of Tamil Nadu, India. In a laboratory experiment, Heterorhabditis indicus and Steinernema glaseri proved promising biological control agents, as they caused high mortality of L. lepidophora larvae. S. feltiae appeared less effective compared with the other two nematodes (SBI, 1991). The Sugarcane Breeding Institute provided information on the mass-production and storage techniques for the three nematodes and the compatibility of the pathogens with fertilizers and pesticides (SBI, 1991). S. glaseri killed about 30-40% of the third-instar larvae of L. lepidophora under pot culture conditions (Singh, 1994).Bacillus popilliae, which occurs naturally in India, caused 70.8% mortality in larvae of L. lepidophora (Singh, 1994). However, B. popilliae spores used against larvae of L. lepidophora during July and September 1989 indicated drastic differences in their performance in the western Ghats, India. Veeresh and Kumar (1992) attributed this to the movement of larvae to deeper layers as the dry spell begins. Veeresh and Kumar (1992) found L. lepidophora larvae and adults to be susceptible to Bacillus brongniartii under laboratory conditions.

A programme to control L. lepidophora on areca nuts, which combines insecticide application during oviposition period in May-June, and cultural operations (such as collecting emerging adults in May-June and intercropping with and digging out larvae in cassava or sweet potatoes), was described by Veeresh et al. (1982).