Some Common Predators Associated with the Brown Planthopper in Malaysia

Abstract

In mid-1977, the most serious brown planthopper (BPH) outbreak recorded in Malaysia in at least a decade occurred in Tanjung Karang, Selangor. About 1,620 ha were severely affected. An integrated control approach, adopted to combat the outbreak, included continual surveillance, suitable insecticide application (spraying, mistblowing, fogging, and granular application), light trapping, and cultural methods. Such an approach appeared to be the most appropriate because natural enemies were numerous among the BPH; predators were most active. The mirid bug Cyrtorhinus lividipennis, an effective predator of BPH in Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Pacific islands, was important in Malaysia. A light trap in the area of the outbreak monitored the abundance of C. lividipennis and BPH. A sharp increase in light-trap catches showed an explosive and sudden outbreak in July, closely associated with a corresponding increase in C. lividipennis catches (see figure). Two other predators — Casnoidea interstitialis (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and