Ethyl formate shows promise as a postharvest treatment for mealy bugs on pome fruit. By Anna Mouton. Mealy bugs are considered phytosanitary pests by some markets and aesthetically unacceptable by nearly all consumers. But a shrinking arsenal of preharvest pesticides…
Monitoring systems for pome and stone fruit. By Anna Mouton. Orchard health is essential to ensuring consistent yields of quality fruit. Growers have to counter the ever-present threat of pests and diseases while meeting phytosanitary requirements from importing countries as…
Growers must adopt a strategic approach to overcome this ancient pest. By Anna Mouton. Mealy bugs co-evolved with vascular plants over millions of years, and modern mealy bugs comprise more than 2 000 species exploiting a vast range of hosts. Despite…
South African fruit must meet phytosanitary requirements to access certain key markets. How are these determined?
Growers can achieve effective mealy-bug control with the correct use of existing tools. By Anna Mouton. Chlorpyrifos was a mainstay for controlling mealy bugs and other sucking insects for nearly 50 years until safety concerns spelled its doom. “The first…