Life History and Behaviour of Rastrococcus Invadens Williams on Ficus Thonningii in Nigeria (Report‪)‬

Introduction Mealybugs, R. invadens Williams (Homoptera :Pseudococcidae) which are widely distributed in other parts of the world, have also been recorded as pests or disease vector in Nigeria (Ibekwe and Lawani ,1977). Neuenschwander (1989) and lvibjaro et al.(1992) observed that different species of mealybugs have spread beyond the southern part of Nigeria to the Northern Guinea savanna. R. invadens is a polyphagous feeder which attack several plants including ornamentals, shade trees, flowers and certain wild species in Makurdi state, Nigeria; each of which has been classified as preferred, occasional and fortuitous host (Ukwela and Liman 2002).