The Rugose Spiraling Whitefly (Aleurodicus rugioperculatus), native to Belize, Guatemala and in the swamps of Florida in southern United States, has been discovered for the first time in the plantations of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It damaged most of the plantations in Pollachi district (near Coimbatore) and Kerala.Moreover, researchers say there has been marked improvement in the fight against the pest in plantations that have not been sprayed with chemicals. “When they spray pesticides, it kills the Green lacewing (Chrysoperla zastrowi sillemi), which is a natural predator of the whitefly.
