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Type of Pests (Insects, Non-insect Pests)
Introduction
A pest is an organism which is detrimental to
humans or human interest. Living organisms
are derided as pests as they cause damage to
agriculture
by
feeding
on
crops
or
parasitizing livestock or acting as carrier of
diseases of man and livestock. The term "plant
pest" is any species or strain of plant, animal,
Bollworm damage in cotton
or pathogenic agent injurious to plants or
plant products. The most important pests in
the order of importance are constituted by
insects
and
non-insect
pests
like
mites,
nematodes and gastropods (snails and slugs).
Although rodents, birds and mammals, which
are inimical to welfare of man are also called
pests.
Cabbage butterfly larvae
Insects as pests
Insects are the most diverse and dominant
pests among animals. They damage crops
right from germination to harvest in field
and also in godowns during post-harvest
storage. No plant part is virtually spared
by insect pests. Different insects can
utilize
different
plant
parts
due
to
specialized mouth parts. In this way, they
have
reduced
competition
among
Cabbage butterfly damage
themselves. Pests like termites feed on
underground plants parts as well crop
residues
and
also
damage
timber,
furniture, books and other commodities.
Planthopper damage in rice
Types of insect pests
Based on feeding habits insects can be
categorized as
 Tissue consumers
 Sap suckers
Tissue consumers include pest affecting
stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and roots, and
also crop residues.
Stem borer damage in rice
Sap suckers suck sap from different plant
parts affecting growth and development
of crops.
Planthoppers in rice
Crop lodging due to planthopper damage
Tissue consumers
A. Stem damaging insects:
Stem borer: Rice stem borer, maize
stem borer, sugarcane early
shoot borer, top shoot borer
banana pseudo stem borer,
mango stem borer
Banana pseudo stem borer
Shoot fly: Maize, sorghum and wheat
shoot fly
Mango stem borer
Node borer: Sugarcane internode
borer
Cutworms: Gram cutworm
Cutworm larva
C. Leaf damaging insects
Leaf folder: Rice leaf folder, cotton
leaf roller, grape leaf roller
Rice leaf folder larva and adult
Leaf miner: Pea leaf miner, citrus
leaf
miner, mustard leaf
miner
Defoliators: Grasshoppers,
defoliating beetles
Grasshopper
Hadda beetle
Leaf miner damage
Flower feeding insects
Rice gundhi bug
Banded blister beetles
Rice gundhi bug
Thrips
Banded blister beetle
B. Fruit damaging
insects
Fruit borer: Tomato fruit borer,
lady
finger fruit borer,
brinjal shoot and fruit
borer
Pod borer: Gram pod borer,
pigeon pea
pod borer,
pea
pod borer
Bollworms: Cotton pink
bollworm, spotted
bollworm,
American bollworm
Fruit fly: Mango fruit fly,
cucurbit fruit fly,
guava fruit fly
Fruit sucking moth: Orange
sucking moth
Pod borer damage in gram
Fruit borer damage
Root damaging
insects
Termites: Wheat, maize,
sugarcane, gram
White grubs: Sugarcane,
ground nut, maize
Termite galleries
Root weevils: Rice root
weevil
Mole cricket: Wheat, maize,
gram, rice
Termite workers
White grubs
Sucking insects
Stem suckers: Rice planthoppers,
sugarcane
woolly aphid
White fly
Leaf suckers: Rice leafhopper, cotton
leafhopper, lady finger
leafhopper,
cotton whitefly,
cotton mealy
Flower suckers: Rose thrips,
mungbean thrips,
rice
panicle thrips, mustard aphid
Mustard aphid
Rice brown planthopper
Rice green leafhopper
Fruit suckers: Fruit sucking moth
Root suckers: Wheat root aphid
Rice white-backed planthopper
Thrips
Non-insect pests
A. Mites
Mites also known as acarina belong
to
phylum
spiders
Arachnida,
also
belong.
to
which
These
are
minute organisms that can rarely be
seen with naked eyes. Mites cause
heavy damage in crops especially in
vegetables and ornamentals. Mites
constitute a large group with its
members inhabiting a variety of
habitats
like
soil,
water,
plants,
animals, processed food and animal
waste.
Mites
damage
sucking sap from them.
crops
by
Red spider mite
Damage
Phytophagous
mites
infest
a
wide variety of plants leading to
yellowing,
curling
discolouration,
or
deformation
other
of
type
leaves
of
or
defoliation; development of galls
on leaves; deformities of plants
such as swelling of nodes and
internodes, stunting of shoots or
malformation of fruits.
Mite damage in brinjal
Predatory mites
Predatory
mites
feed
on
phytophagous mites thus aiding
in biological control of harmful
mites.
Amblyseius
fallacis,
Agistemus fleschneri and Zetzellia
mali are some of the species of
predatory mites. Their size is
more or less similar to that of
spider mites
Predatory mites
B. Snails and Slugs
Snails and slugs belong to phylum,
Mollusca and hence also known as
molluscs. Giant African snails is
most important snail pest having
spread
worldwide
due
to
accidentally as well as deliberately.
Snails possess a protective shell
covering,
secretion,
formed
while
by
their
slugs
own
lack
protective shell. The snails are very
active during rainy season.
Their
activities are very much correlated
with the rainfall and humidity.
Giant African snail
Damage
Garden
flowers
and
ornamentals
are
among the most susceptible plants to
attack of giant African snail. Host range
of giant African snail is very big and
includes papaya, banana, cole crops,
lobhia,
marigold,
beans,
cucurbits,
portulacea,
violet,
brinjal,
money
plant, arecanut, rubber buds and coffee
seedlings. Marigold and Luffa are among
the most preferred food of this pest. It
also
drinks rubber sap. Papaya is also
damaged
to serious level. All parts of
papaya plant are susceptible to the
attack of the giant African snail.
Plant Parasitic Nematodes
Nematodes are popularly called as round
worms. Nematodes belong to the phylum
Aschelminthes. Plant parasitic nematodes
constitute one of the important groups of
organisms which live in soil around plant
roots. They are often microscopic, long and
slender, confined usually to the top soil of
20-25 cm. Plant parasitic nematodes cause
extensively damage to cultivated plants,
resulting in heavy losses. Damage may be
caused directly, or indirectly when the
phytoparasitic nematodes transmit plant
viruses or allow pathogens to gain entry
into the plant through damaged areas
created by these nematodes.
Magnified picture of root knot nematode
Symptoms of Nematode Damage
Root knot nematode
Galls on roots, stunting and wilting as in
lady’s finger.
Cyst nematode
Shallow root system, chlorosis (yellowing of
leaves) and wilting during hot weather even
in presence of sufficient soil moisture
Root knot nematode damage
Ear cockle nematode
Stunted growth with wrinkled and twisted
leaves, reduced and irregularly developed
earheads, wheat grains converting into seed
galls or cocks
White tip nematode
Yellowing, browning and finally whitening
of 2-5 cm leaf tips which then dry up and
hangs down, kernels becoming chaffy and
distorted as in the case of paddy
Ear cockle nematode damage
Crabs
Crabs are arthropods which belong to
group Crustacea and are aquatic by
nature. The rice fields crab, Paratelphusa
hydrodrumus lives in holes in the sides of
field bunds and irrigated channels etc.,
where water does not stand. Channels and
holes are protected by heaping soil around
their openings.
Nature of damage
Seedlings are cut down into bits at ground
levels and carried to the holes for feeding.
In addition to crop damage, crab holes
made into bunds lead to beaches and water
loss.
Crab
Millipedes
Millipedes
are
also
arthropods
and
nocturnal, which live beneath leaves, stones,
bark and logs as well as in soil. As the name
indicates, these have a large number of legs.
Millipedes commonly occurring in India are
Lulas sp. on Jowar and Harpurostreptus sp.
on tapioca. They are brownish black in
colour and about 8.7 cm in length.
Nature of damage
The adults and juveniles feed on tender buds
and roots of newly planted crops. The
tapioca millipedes feed on tender buds and
roots of newly planted sets resulting in
stunting and often death of plants. Some of
the millipedes consume groundnut kernels.
Millipedes
Rats and mice
Rats cause severe damage to crops and
domestic commodities, thereby requiring
to
be
controlled
effectively.
The
atmosphere and surroundings of human
habitations are fouled by them to the
extent that it becomes intolerable for
man. Several types of diseases are known
to
be
transmitted
by
rats.
Besides
consuming considerable quantity of food,
they contaminate much more by urine,
faeces,
and
hairs
and
sebaceous
secretions. Religious sentiments of some
people come in the way of rat control.
Mus booduga
Hare and rabbit
Hares and rabbits are one of the best
known
wild
mammals
and
of
considerable economic importance.
They
are
mainly on
nocturnal
and
graze
grass, herbs, scrubs,
bulbs, roots, bark etc. Instances of
their becoming pests on agricultural
Hare
crops are widely known throughout
the country. They do considerable
damage
to
crops
barleygram,
maize,
pea,
like
wheat,
jowar,
bajra,
mustard, bean, cabbage and
others. They are browse on young
fruit trees and forest plants.
Rabbit
Let’s Sum Up

A pest is an animal which is detrimental to humans or human
interest.
 Most important pests are among insects and non-insect pests like
mites, nematodes, and snails and slugs.
 Based on feeding habits insect pests can be categorized as tissue
consumers and sap suckers.
 Tissue consumers damage stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and roots, and
also crop residues.
 Sap suckers like aphids and whiteflies suck sap from plant parts.
 Mites such as red spider mites cause heavy damage in crops especially
in vegetables and ornamentals.
 Giant African snails is most important snail pest having spread
worldwide and causes heavy damage in ornamentals and vegetables.
 Crabs and millipedes also damage crops in certain localities.
 Rodents and some birds and mammals are also harmful to man.