Pomegranate Pests

Pomegranate Pests
Back to Pomegranate Page Fig. 1 Leaf-Footed plant bug - Leptoglossus zonatus Fig. 2 Pomegranate fruit borer - Virachola isocrates	Minor problems are leaf and fruit spot caused by Cercospora, Gloeosporium and Pestalotia sp.; also foliar damage by whitefly, thrips, mealybugs and scale insects; and defoliation by Euproctis spp. and Archyophora dentula. Termites may infest the trunk. In India, paper or plastic bags or other covers may be put over the fruits to protect them from borers, birds, bats and squirrels. ¹ Root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, has been reported to be a serious pest. Leaf-Footed Plant Bug Leptoglossus zonatus The adult western leaffooted bugs are 19–21 mm long, dark brown, with flattened leaf-like expansions on the hind tibia. The adult is distinguished from the other Leptoglossus spp. by having a whitish zigzag band across the corium and two pale yellow spots on the anterior pronotum. L. zonatus (Dallas) is widely known as the western leaffooted bug, but this is not an approved common name. Leptoglossus zonatus is a prevalent polyphagous minor pest of various field, vegetable and fruit crops in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. It has become a key pest in citrus, especially of satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Mar.). It is also considered an important emerging pest on a wide range of crops including corn, cotton, eggplant, peach, pecan, pomegranate, tomato and watermelon in the United States (Xiao and Fadamiro 2011). ² Further Reading Leaf Borer Pest Alert, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services ^pdf Western Leaffooted Bug Leptoglossus zonatus, University of Florida ^pdf Pomegranate Fruit Borer Deudorix (Virachola) isocrates and D. epijarbas The pomegranate fruit borer or pomegranate butterfly are pests common in Asia, especially India and Sri Lanka. Adult males have glossy blue wings, females have brownish violet with an orange circular spot on the forewing. PFB larvae bore into the pomegranate fruits soon after hatching from eggs laid on flowers or young fruit. Once inside the fruit, the flat larvae (approx 2cm length) feed on the flesh and seeds. Infested fruit will often have PFB feces near the bore holes of entry. The holes ultimately expose the rest of the fruit to disease, and typically rot off the tree. ³
Bibliography ¹ Fruits of Warm Climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, 1987. ² Chi, Amelio A., and Russell F. Mizell III. "Western Leaffooted Bug Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas) (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coreidae)." Entomology and Nematology Dept., UF/IFAS Extension, EENY-517, Original Pub. June 2012, Revised Apr. 2013, Reviewed July 2020, AskIFAS, edis.ifas.ufl.edu. Accessed 25 Apr. 2017, 8 Sept. 2021. ³ Zalom, Frank, et al. "Pomegranate Fruit Borer." Statewide IPM Program, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, May 2009, ipm-pest.ucdavis.edu. Accessed 21 June 2014. Photographs Fig. ¹ Wright, Natasha. "Leaf-footed bug: Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas, 1852)." Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 2007, Bugwood.org, bugwood.org. Accessed 20 June 2014. Fig. ² Rohitmg. "Virachola isocrates Fabricius, 1793 – Common Guava Blue." India Biodiversity, 2014, indiabiodiversity.org. Accessed 20 June 2014. Published 21 June 2014 LR. Last update 8 Sept. 2021 LR

Fig. 1
Leaf-Footed plant bug - Leptoglossus zonatus

Fig. 2

Pomegranate fruit borer - Virachola isocrates

Minor problems are leaf and fruit spot caused by Cercospora, Gloeosporium and Pestalotia sp.; also foliar damage by whitefly, thrips, mealybugs and scale insects; and defoliation by Euproctis spp. and Archyophora dentula. Termites may infest the trunk. In India, paper or plastic bags or other covers may be put over the fruits to protect them from borers, birds, bats and squirrels. ¹
Root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita, has been reported to be a serious pest.

Leaf-Footed Plant Bug
Leptoglossus zonatus

The adult western leaffooted bugs are 19–21 mm long, dark brown, with flattened leaf-like expansions on the hind tibia. The adult is distinguished from the other Leptoglossus spp. by having a whitish zigzag band across the corium and two pale yellow spots on the anterior pronotum.
L. zonatus (Dallas) is widely known as the western leaffooted bug, but this is not an approved common name. Leptoglossus zonatus is a prevalent polyphagous minor pest of various field, vegetable and fruit crops in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. It has become a key pest in citrus, especially of satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Mar.). It is also considered an important emerging pest on a wide range of crops including corn, cotton, eggplant, peach, pecan, pomegranate, tomato and watermelon in the United States (Xiao and Fadamiro 2011). ²

Further Reading
Leaf Borer Pest Alert, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services ^pdf
Western Leaffooted Bug Leptoglossus zonatus, University of Florida ^pdf

Pomegranate Fruit Borer
Deudorix (Virachola) isocrates and D. epijarbas

The pomegranate fruit borer or pomegranate butterfly are pests common in Asia, especially India and Sri Lanka. Adult males have glossy blue wings, females have brownish violet with an orange circular spot on the forewing.
PFB larvae bore into the pomegranate fruits soon after hatching from eggs laid on flowers or young fruit. Once inside the fruit, the flat larvae (approx 2cm length) feed on the flesh and seeds. Infested fruit will often have PFB feces near the bore holes of entry. The holes ultimately expose the rest of the fruit to disease, and typically rot off the tree. ³

Bibliography

¹ Fruits of Warm Climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, 1987.
² Chi, Amelio A., and Russell F. Mizell III. "Western Leaffooted Bug Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas) (Insecta: Hemiptera: Coreidae)." Entomology and Nematology Dept., UF/IFAS Extension, EENY-517, Original Pub. June 2012, Revised Apr. 2013, Reviewed July 2020, AskIFAS, edis.ifas.ufl.edu. Accessed 25 Apr. 2017, 8 Sept. 2021.
³ Zalom, Frank, et al. "Pomegranate Fruit Borer." Statewide IPM Program, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, May 2009, ipm-pest.ucdavis.edu. Accessed 21 June 2014.

Photographs

Fig. ¹ Wright, Natasha. "Leaf-footed bug: Leptoglossus zonatus (Dallas, 1852)." Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 2007, Bugwood.org, bugwood.org. Accessed 20 June 2014.
Fig. ² Rohitmg. "Virachola isocrates Fabricius, 1793 – Common Guava Blue." India Biodiversity, 2014, indiabiodiversity.org. Accessed 20 June 2014.

Published 21 June 2014 LR. Last update 8 Sept. 2021 LR