PESTS OF MORINGA :: MINOR PESTS :: BUD MIDGE

3. Bud midge: Stictodiplosis moringae (Cecidomyiidae: Diptera)
             It is a minor pest of drumstick. Eggs are laid in clusters on anthers within the flower buds. Maggots feed on internal tissues of buds especially on ovaries. Pest is active during August to January. Infested buds soon fall down and the full-fed maggots come out to pupate in soil. Egg, maggot and pupal periods last for 1 to 2, 6 to 9 and 5 to 8 days, respectively; a single life cycle is completed in 12 to 19 days.