Last updated on: 11th July, 2024
ICAR-Directorate of Cashew Research
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Other predatory insects

OTHER PREDATORY INSECTS

Apart from the common predators listed above, brown lace wings, mantispid flies, anthocorid bugs, geocorid bugs, damsel flies, robber flies, dragon flies also occur in cashew plantations and they all are general predators.

Brown lace wings

The adults are about half the size of green lacewing adults. Brown lacewing larvae look like tiny alligators too, but are creamy-brown with dark reddish-brown stripes and spots. A distinguishing behavior is that they move their heads from side to side when walking.

Both adults and larvae prey on various small insects including mealybugs, psyllids, thrips, mites, whiteflies, aphids, small caterpillars, leafhoppers, insect eggs etc.

Robber flies

Robber flies have stout, spiny legs and three simple eyes (ocelli) in a characteristic depression on the tops of their head between their two large compound eyes. They are aggressive predatory habits; they feed mainly or exclusively on other insects and, as a rule, they wait in ambush and catch their prey in flight.

Anthocorid bugs

Anthocoridae are tiny bugs, 1.5 – 5 mm long and have soft, elongated oval, flat bodies, often patterned in black and white. In general appearance, they resemble soft bugs of Miridae.

Anthocorids are often predacious both as nymphs and adults. Some species feed on eggs of other insects, and some species like Orius sp. predate on mites and thrips.

 

Geocorid bugs

These minute grey -black bugs have big eyes (big eyed bugs). Big-eyed bugs are considered an important predator in many agricultural systems and feed on mites, insect eggs, and small insects such as pink bollwormcabbage loopers, and whiteflies.

 

Photos Source: Google

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