Fruit Crops: Peaches

Comstock mealybug, Pseudococcus comstocki (Kuwana), has been reported on peaches in Illinois. Egg masses are commonly present on fruits, limbs, and bases of new shoots. Phenacoccus mespili Sign. is known to be a pest of peaches in the Azerbaijan SSR, USSR (Ibadova 1985).In Apsheronskiy Peninsula in the Azerbaijan SSR, USSR, the pest had two complete generations and a partial one per year. The first generation developed in about 65 days and the second in about 45.2 days. The most important natural enemy was the encyrtid Pseudaphycus phenacocci Yasnosh which parasitized about 73.8 % of the pest population in late August and September. Other parasitoids recorded were Aphycus hadzibejliae Trjapitzin and Allotropa mecrida (Walker), while the predators were Chilocorus bipustulatus L., Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) and Leucopis alticeps Czerny (Ibadova 1985).