Efficacy of some promising insecticides against adults of papaya mealy bug, Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) under laboratory condition

The study revealed thiamethoxam 25 WG as the most effective insecticide at a concentration of 0.05% with the highest mortality (83%) and lowest LC₅₀ value recorded at 48 h after treatment followed by imidacloprid SL against Paracoccus marginatus. The toxicity order with respect to concentration was recorded as thiamethoxam 25 WG (0.004%) > imidacloprid 17.8 SL (0.005%) > profenofos 50 EC (0.006%) > chlorantraniliprole SC (0.007%) > spiromesifen 22.9 SC (0.009%) > lambda cyhalothrin 5% EC (0.015%). Although the adult stages of mealybug were covered with waxy coating, still they were susceptible to new molecular insecticides with low LC₅₀ value.