Insect Pests of Bananas and Plantains in India

Pseudostem weevil is one of the most destructive pests of banana in India and many other parts of the world.

Corm weevil, also known as rhizome weevil, is a major pest of bananas with a near cosmopolitan distribution.

Small banana weevil is a minor pest of banana in the Indo-Malayan region. It looks like a miniature rhizome weevil and bores into the decaying rhizome and stalks of banana.

Fruit and leaf scarring beetles (Basilepta subcostata) are major pests in north, eastern, and northeastern states of India and Bangladesh. The beetles affect the cosmetic appearance and reduce the market value of fruits.

Bhamoina varipes is a leaf feeding chrysomelid beetle in the northeastern region of India

Banana lacewing bugs are found allover India and cause characteristic stippling of infested leaves. They are serious pests in summer months.

Flower thrips infest the flowers and young fruits and affected fruits are scarred with reduced market value.

Leaf thrips are common pests of banana and occasionally also cause fruit damage.

Silvering thrips externally look like Helionothrips kadaliphilus and causes similar damage to leaves, but much less common in South India.

Asprothrips navsariensis is a minor pest of banana leaves. It is known from India (Gujarat and Tamil Nadu) and Indonesia (Bogor). Though occasionally large populations are seen, economic damage is negligible.

Pentalonia nigronervosa, commonly known as banana black aphid, transmits the dreaded bunchy top of banana virus. It is a serious threat to the cultivation of traditional varieties like Poovan, Hill banana, etc.

Banana scales have a wide distribution in all banana growing regions and rarely cause major economic damage as they are kept under check by natural enemies.

It is one of the common diaspidid scales infesting banana, but rarely serious.

Lindingaspis misrae is a minor pest of banana in Tamil Nadu during dry periods.

Lindingaspis sp. is a rare and minor pest of banana foliage

Lopholeucaspis cockerelli infests the upper surface of banana leaves

Oyster scales are minor pests of bananas and plantains and usually do not warrant any control measures.

Root mealybugs are serious on some cultivars of banana in South India and cause major damage.

Root mealybug, Rhizoecus sp.

Solenopsis mealybug has a wide host range and is found on several plants, including banana.

Tailed mealybug is a highly polyphagous pest on several hosts including banana and affects both foliage and fruits.

The pink hibiscus mealybug, a highly polyphagous pest, is commonly found infesting banana fruits in South India.

The Jack Beardsley mealybug is an invasive species recently reported from South India and it has become a common but minor pest of banana fruits.

Rastrococcus iceryoides is a major pest of banana bunches in some cultivars

Dysmicoccus brevipes is a common pest of banana and is usually found on natural cavities and roots.

This is an emerging pest of banana bunches in some parts of South India.

It is an occasional pest of banana fruits

It is a rare pest of banana foliage, particularly on cv. Hill Banana

The mango mealybug is often found on banana foliage at low levels

Papaya mealybug is found at low levels on banana, particularly in colonies of other mealybugs.

Occasionally found on banana foliage.

Black scales are occasional pests on leaves and sometimes even fruits during summer.

This is a minor pest of banana commonly found in small numbers on the leaf around the petiole.

Brown soft scale, Coccus hesperidum, is commonly found on banana foliage, but in very few numbers and does not cause economic damage

Wax scales are commonly seen on banana, but rarely reach damage causing levels.

Banana whitefly is a very common but economically unimportant pest.

Spiralling whitefly is an introduced pest in India with a wide range of host plants including banana and occasionally serious.

Rugost spiralling whitefly, a recent invasive pest in South India, has many hosts, but banana and coconut are its most preferred host plants.

This is an introduced pest, usually found in mixed colonies of other whiteflies, particularly the rugose spiralling whitefly

Prodromus clypeatus is endemic to some parts of Kerala and South India and causes damage symptoms on leaves similar to lacewing bugs.

Phymatosetha deschampsi is a minor sucking pest on banana foliage in Kerala and some other parts of South India.

Spodoptera litura, the leaf caterpillar, has several host plants and is a major pest of bananas in all banana growing areas.

Spodoptera exigua is an emerging pest of bananas and plantains. The damage is often severe in 2-3 month-old banana crops.

Spodoptera littoralis is a pest of bananas at low levels. The symptoms of damage are similar to those of S. litura, more common on bananas. The immature stages are indistinguishable from Spodoptera litura.

Fall armyworm is primarily a pest of maize and sorghum and polyphagous on several host plants including banana. Incidence on banana is at low levels and it cooccurs with the other Spodoptera species. .

Erionota torus, the banana skipper, until recently restricted to the northern and northeastern parts, has emerged as a serious pest in peninsular India.

Erionota thrax is a common pest of banana in the northeastern region of India and Southeast Asia.

Manatha albipes is one of the most common pests of banana and the damage is common and usually confined to isolated patches. Kophene cuprea, the bagworm species mentioned in entomology textbooks, is known to occur in eastern India.

Eupterote orientalis is an occasional pest of banana in some parts of South India. The damage is usually seen in only a few plants, but foliar damage is almost total.

Olepa ricini is one of the most common pests of banana foliage and feeds on a variety of host plants.

Olene mendosa is a common pest of banana foliage and its infestation is usually confined to localized patches.

Orvasca subnotata is one of the many hairy caterpillars feeding on banana fruit and foliage and occasionally causes serious economic damage.

Euproctis fraterna is one of many hairy caterpillars feeding on banana fruit and foliage and occasionally causes serious economic damage.

This is a common hairy caterpillar on banana foliage and causes skeletonization and drying of leaves. The damage is negligible.

Chrysodeixis chalcites is an occasional pest of banana leaves

This is an endemic, occasionally serious pest in Kerala, Karnataka, and parts of the Western Ghats. The damage symptoms are similar to those caused by other lepidopteran pests.

Spatulifimbria sp. is a rare pest of bananas in the Lower Pulney Hills.

Fruit flies are economically less important on banana as the flies do not prefer to lay eggs on green bananas.

Fruit spotting bugs are sporadic pests of banana fruit in Maharashtra.

Spider mite, Oligonychus indicus, a polyphagous pest, is serious on banana during summer and the symptom of damage is characteristic.

Spider mites are serious pests of banana foliage during summer

Oriental red mite is a minor but occasionally serious pest of banana foliage during summer.

Raoiella indica, a polyphagous mite pest, is a serious problem during summer months on banana and has many natural enemies.

Banana eriophyid mite, Phyllocoptruta musae, is rarely found to infest banana leaves.

Minor pests like weevils are common on bananas and plantains and seldom require any control measures.

This a minor and sporadic pest of bananas in Tamil Nadu and the larvae bore into the leaf sheaths and cause yellowing and drying of outer leaves.

Immature stages and adults of this cerambycid beetle are found inside the leaf sheath and outer layers of pseudostem of old plants of banana.

Adults of rhinoceros beetle, a major pest of coconut and other palms, sometimes feed on banana stem and fruits.

The vegetable grasshopper, Atractomorpha crenulata, is a common pest of early stages of banana crops (2-4 months old)

It is a generalist but causes damage to banana foliage as well as fruits. Occasionally, the damage on the leaves and fruits is severe. The fruit damage is similar to that caused by some hairy caterpillars like Olene mendosa.

Gesonula punctifrons is a pest of ornamental banana cultivars.

Fruit feeding butterflies and beetles are often found in banana orchards, particularly when ripe banana bunches are left unharvested.

Some insects found on banana are not banana feeders but migrants or wanderers from other host plants

Banana stalk flies feed on decaying banana fruits and other organic matter. Occasionally they are seen in large numbers

The Giant African Snail is a common problem in the banana growing states of the northeastern region and the Western Ghats