Mealybugs are small sap-sucking insects cause severe economic damage to cotton and a wide range of vegetable, horticultural and other field crops. Plants infested by mealybugs during vegetative phase exhibit symptoms of distorted, bushy shoots, crinkled and/or twisted bunchy leaves and stunted plants that dry completely in severe cases. Late season infestations during reproductive crop stage result in reduced plant vigor and early crop senescence. While feeding mealybugs injects a toxic substance into the plant parts resulting in chlorosis, stunting, deformation and death of plants. Mealybugs attacks cotton growing parts viz., main stem, branches and fruit, underdeveloped flowers produced bolls of smaller size; boll opening adversely affected
