03 Ara 2024 Salı
A study of spittle bugs of Prosapia bicincta (Say, 1830) of Hyderabad
Abstract : Spittle bugs are the larval stage of the insect known as Prosapia bicincta, commonly called as the frog hopper. These are known to cause sever damage to the crops as they feed upon the sap and synthesize the froth, which helps for their survival. In the present study, nymphs were collected along with stem with the foam and maintained in the laboratory. The nymphs did not survive beyond (36 hrs) under laboratory conditions. This may be attributed to the inability of the nymphs to synthesize fresh froth because, the herbage though appeared green, seems to have become stale. This study, precisely suggests the synthesis of froth by aspiration of green sap as a fundamental requisite for the survival of spittle bugs. These bugs are known to aspire the sap from the stems by their rostrum, which is their strong attribute. Disruption of rostrum may to certain extent may eliminate this pest, which we intend to investigate in future. As these are pest insects, we suggest a convoluted way of eliminating them. Treating the plants with ammonia or ammonia producing bacteria, can cause the synthesis of nitric acid indirectly by catalytic degradation of ammonia with oxygen and water, and this may be helpful in disrupting the rostrum, there by exterminating the spittle bugs.