Silicon dioxide damages the protective waxy layer of insect body and insects die due to desiccation. But, it is slow acting insecticide and effective at high dose, so it is used in combination with different insecticides.The under taken project focuses on the laboratory bioassay of Twenty different ratios between insecticide and silicon dioxide ranging from 1:0.0025 to 1:3 against adult female and ovisac stage.The mortality at adult female and egg sac stage, as well as quantity of wax removed was recorded.Intensity of synergistic effect on the toxicity of insecticides against mealybug's stages increased with increasing concentrations of silicon dioxide.The treatments, having silicon dioxide admixed with insecticides, removed many fold wax from the body of adult female than the treatments having only insecticides.Percentage mortality was found higher in the adult female as well as at ovisac stage at higher ratio and maximum at 1:3 (insecticide: silicon dioxide). The findings of the endeavour persuaded the coadministration of silicon dioxide with insecticides to synergize their toxicity as well as for the knockdown control of cotton mealybug at adult female and ovisac stage.

The production and productivity of bitter-gourd is severely damaged by melon fruit-fly. Since, its maggots damage the fruits internally; its chemical control is difficult. It is, therefore, imperative to explore alternatives and develop IPM strategy for the effective management of this pest. This book provides the readers with knowledge of various IPM strategies which can be used effectively for its management. The contents of this book consist of lab and field experiments which were carried out to evaluate different botanicals, food-baits, pheromones-baits-traps, oviposition-baits, insecticide-baited-foods/pheromones and cultural- control-tactics against melon fruit-fly in bitter- gourd. Highly effective of above mentioned tactics were integrated into 8 IPM-Models, which were evaluated at two localities. The results revealed that the descending order of the performance of tested IPM-Models was: IPM-Model-7 > IPM-Model-3 > IPM-Model-6 > IPM-Model-4 > IPM-Model-5 > IPM-Model- 2 > IPM-Model-1 > IPM-Model-8. In conclusion, IPM- Model-3, IPM-Model-4, IPM-Model-5, IPM-Model-6 and IPM-Model-7 can be exercised in the areas where there are hot spots of melon fruit flies.