Avian pests of tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta (Drury) (Saturniidae : Lepidoptera) from India

摘要

Tasar silkworm Antheraea mylitta Drury is a wild sericigenous insect that produces highly economicallyimportant silk. Primary host plants are Terminalia tomentosa, T. arjuna and Shorea robusta. Being outdoor in rearing, thesilkworm is vulnerable to various biotic and abiotic stresses. In the present paper, we tried to document the various avian pestsof Tasar silkworm which will be highly useful as a field handbook for identification. Some indigenous technical knowledge(ITKs) followed by the Tasar farmers for scaring the birds are also included. The majority of farmers resort to ward-off the birdsfrom the fields by non-harming scaring techniques. None followed any chemical or fireworks-based control techniques.