Vasileva, V. 1986 [Protection of ivy against scale.]. Zashchita rastenii. Moscow (No. 11) 41.
Notes: An account is given of the bionomics and control of Planchonia arabidis, which severely damages Crimean ivy [Hedera taurica] in the Crimea, USSR. The plant is widely used in vertical landscaping and for ground cover. The eggs, newly hatched larvae and adult females of the coccid are briefly described. There is one generation a year on the south coast. Crawlers appear on the plant surface at the end of the first 10 days of April, becoming sessile on both sides of the leaves and on leaf stalks and young shoots. Leaves and shoots become deformed, growth ceases and the plants ultimately die. Young adult females appear in June. Eggs and females overwinter, the latter ovipositing from the end of the first 10 days of September to the end of March, laying 148-254 (average 185) eggs each. Hatching begins at the end of March, when the bud scales open. Adverse weather conditions often kill over 50% of 1st-instar larvae, and mortality of the adult females is also about 50%, being due predominantly to encyrtid parasitoids. In a production experiment, a 50% Actellic pirimiphos-methyl] e.c. preparation sprayed on heavily damaged ivy at 0.2% killed all larvae, and the plants grew well.