Gautam, R.D., & Cooper, B. 2003 Insecticidal dip of some tropical cut flowers for quarantine security against pink hibiscus mealy bug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus.. Indian Journal of Entomology 65(2): 259-263.

Notes: Studies on the effect of 5-minute insecticidal dips with pirimiphos-methyl (Actellic 50 EC at 10 mg/litre), deltamethrin (Decis 2.8 EC at 5.0 ml/litre), and chlorpyriphos+dimethoate (Salut at 5.0 ml/litre) on pink hibiscus mealy bug, M. hirsutus, infesting four species of tropical commercial cut flowers, i.e. ginger lily (Alpinia purpurata), Heliconia psittacorum, Anthurium andraeanum and orchids (Laeliocattleya canhamianaalba), revealed 100 per cent kill of all stages of the pest within six hours. However, on the 7th day after treatments medium phytotoxicity was observed on flowers dipped in deltamethrin and chlorpyriphos+dimethoate while slight (2.1 to 3.0 score at phytotoxicity scale of 1-5) in pirimiphos-methyl. The shelf-life of these flowers treated with pirimiphos-methyl was not affected as these could be utilized for 7-10 days at par with the control at 27-31 deg C. Interestingly, none of the insecticides affected shelf-life of A. andraeanum while other flowers suffered a lot. Hence, dipping of these cut flowers with pirimiphos-methyl was recommended as a quarantine security for the resumption of inter and intra regional trade in the Caribbean which suffered due to accidental introduction of the mealy bug.