Sulaiman, S.F.M., Subhadrabandhu, S., & Chairidchai, P. 2000a Effect of pesticidal pre-treatments of pineapple plants on the incidence of mealybug wilt disease.. Acta Horticulturae No. 529: 273-288.

Notes: [Proceedings of the Third International Pineapple Symposium, Pattaya, Thailand, 17-20 November 1998.] The effect of insecticide pretreatments on pineapple cv. Mauritius on the incidence of mealybugs (Dysmicoccus brevipes) and attendant ant colonies in pineapple fields located at an intermediate low country (Hunuwila) and at a wet low country (Walpita) in Sri Lanka was investigated. The soil in Hunuwila was red-yellow podzolic of a sandy alluvial nature, while that in Walpita was lateritic. The treatments were: untreated control (T1); pretreatment of pineapple planting material with insecticides usually used by farmers and pretreatment with profenofos. Pitfall traps were used to record ant number. Mealybug numbers on the plants were measured. Data were collected weekly for 2 years. The dominant ant species attending on mealybugs was Technomyrmex albipes.