Neem in India
Pulvinaria maxima Green
Commonly known as the nim mealy scale, it is a serious pest of neem on Central and South India.
Infested tree is recognized by the thick coating of white mealy patches, the egg sacs on the foliage
shoots and bark. On badly infested trees, almost all different stages of the scale can be found at the
same time, Severe infestation by the scale lowers the tree vigour. As a result, there is premature, leaf
fall and dieback of infested shoots. In extreme cases, it may even cause tree mortality. Unusually, a
large egg mass of 650-900 eggs is laid on the leaf or stout shoot. The incubation period is about two
weeks. The young nymphs swarm over the leaves and shoots. The winged-males are completely
developed in 4-5 weeks and pair with wingless females, which take 5-7 weeks to develop. After
fertilization, the female grows rapidly in size and feeds voraciously with copious exudation of
honeydew. The egg laying begins after about a week. Life cycle is completed in 6-8 weeks and there
are 6-7 generations in a year.
Commonly known as the nim mealy scale, it is a serious pest of neem on Central and South India.
Infested tree is recognized by the thick coating of white mealy patches, the egg sacs on the foliage
shoots and bark. On badly infested trees, almost all different stages of the scale can be found at the
same time, Severe infestation by the scale lowers the tree vigour. As a result, there is premature, leaf
fall and dieback of infested shoots. In extreme cases, it may even cause tree mortality. Unusually, a
large egg mass of 650-900 eggs is laid on the leaf or stout shoot. The incubation period is about two
weeks. The young nymphs swarm over the leaves and shoots. The winged-males are completely
developed in 4-5 weeks and pair with wingless females, which take 5-7 weeks to develop. After
fertilization, the female grows rapidly in size and feeds voraciously with copious exudation of
honeydew. The egg laying begins after about a week. Life cycle is completed in 6-8 weeks and there
are 6-7 generations in a year.
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