Insects pests in tropical pastures Aeneolamia spp
Dear agricultural readers, welcome to your agricultural space agrotecnia, this time we will be addressing aspects of agronomic interest in the management of tropical pastures, specifically on some pest insects that can influence the productive characteristics of the pasture, this topic will be fragmented into several chapters, where the generalities of each insect will be deepened. In line with the above planned, the impact of the insect Aeneolamia spp. will be described and analyzed in this publication. in pastures, in the same way, some strategies that can be used for their control on forage surfaces will be recommended.
Bioecology of Aeneolamia spp.
The Aeneolamia, is commonly known in the South of Lake Maracaibo as “candelilla”, this name was adopted by producers because the forage surfaces that have been attacked by the insect show a burning of the grassland, in the same way in other countries they are known as salivazo or salivita motivated to the presence of a foam that tends to look like saliva, said foam is formed after hatching the eggs.
The candelilla is a sucking insect and taxonomically belongs to the order Homoptera, family Cercopidae and genus Aeneolamia, in Venezuela there are four widespread species that are described below:
Aeneolamia flavilatera
Aeneolamia lepidior
Aeneolamia reducta
Aeneolamia varía
The Aeneolamia varies, as reported by Espinoza (2013), is the one that is most widely distributed throughout Venezuela, on the other hand all species can adapt to altitudes from 0 to 1600 meters above sea level (msl), the insect when it is in its adult stage can measure from 6 to 10 cm approximately depending on the species, the body can vary in color depending on the species but always presents stripes or transverse, lateral, oblique or semicircular yellow bands.
On the other hand, the insect has the particularity of being found in grassland ecosystems throughout the year as long as there is moisture in the soils, the appearance of them increases in rainy periods and declines when the rainy period begins, to carry out the checks of the paddock it is recommended in the early hours of the morning or at the end of the afternoon, since the insect tolerates solar radiation and it is those hours that the adult insect could be observed on the leaves, it is also recommended to check the bases of the pastures, since when they are in the nymph state (one of their life cycle stages) they form a foam near the ground.
Biological cycle of Aeneolamia spp
Knowing the life cycle of an insect is one of the first steps that an agricultural technician should consider, since this will allow him to know at which stage of the cycle the insect causes damage to the crop, information that will serve to select the appropriate tool or technique for its control. The stages corresponding to the life cycle of the candelilla will be described below:
The life cycle of the candelilla has a duration that is in an approximate range of 35 to 45 days, these insects are oviparous and after the female lays the eggs it takes approximately two to three weeks to hatch, giving way to the nymphs that adhere to the roots of the plant feeding on its sap, during its nymph phase these are covered with a saliva-like secretion which is used for protection.
The nymph phase lasts approximately between 35 to 45 days depending on the species and environmental conditions, since Baloy (2010), pointed out that in some agroecological areas up to 26 days have been reported, after the mentioned days the nymphs transform into adults, they feed on the leaves and stems of the plants extracting the sap and injecting toxins.
The images were designed by @pinedaocl and @amestyj, some of the photographs were taken in different production units intended for livestock production. In future publications we will continue sharing information about insect pests that affect pasture crops, we will also talk about biological pest control and integrated pest management on forage surfaces. You can also get publications on our alternative social networks Instagram @agro_tecnia .
Baloy, H. (2010). Alternatives for agroecological Pest Management in pastures. Memory of the XVI workshop of the Alberto Adriani Livestock Association. (pp. 13-20). Merida: ASODEGA.
Espinoza, F. (2013). Control and management of pests that attack grass foliage in Venezuela. In GIRARZ, tropical pasture and forage Management (P.135-142). Maracaibo: Universidad del Zulia.
Duran, F. (2014). biological pest Control . Colombia: Grupo Latino.