Symptoms of damage:

• Sucking of sap at cassava shoot tips, on the lower surface of leaves, and on stems. During feeding it injects a toxin into the cassava plant
• Causing deformation of terminal shoots, which become stunted
• Resulting in compression of terminal leaves into "bunchy tops"
• Length of internodes is reduced, and stems are distorted

Identification of pest:

• Cassava mealy bug is pinkish in colour
• Its body is surrounded by very short filaments, and covered with a fine coating of wax.

Management:

• Spray malathion or fenitrothion @1ml/ha