Preliminary study on screening of predatory coccinellids in agricultural field and analyzing the composition, diversity of predatory beetles in Davangere, Karnataka

A survey on the status of predatory coccinellids in various crop fields in Davangere, Karnataka is conducted to educate the farmers about the natural interaction of ladybird beetles and pests. In the present study, 288 individuals belonging to 7 Species, 2 sub-family of coccinellidae were recorded. Further, Cheilomenes sexmaculata was most dominant species which accounted for (35.06%) of total collected beetles, followed by Coccinella transversalis (20.83%), Chilocorus nigrita (18.40%), Bromoides suturalis (15.62%), Harmonia octomaculata (5.20%), Illeis cincta (3.12%) and Cocinella septempunctata (1.73%) respectively. Pests (aphids) and predator interactions was significantly (P < 0.05) evident in the various crop fields. This study also revealed good aggregation of ladybird beetles. Further detailed study is needed to understand the interaction with pest and insecticidal resistance analysis under natural conditions.