HEMANT SWAMI AND N.K. BAJPAI

The feeding and predatory potential of C. septempunctata, C. sexmaculata and B. suturalis was studied againstR. maidis under laboratory conditions at 27±1°C and 80±5 per cent RH. C. septempunctata was found very effective in managing the aphid population at tested prey predator ratio 1:25 to 1:200. The maximum prey consumption ; maximum feeding ; highest feeding per predator and maximum area of discovery for C. septempunctata varied from 79± 2.26 to 169±5.25, 39.5 to 84.5 per cent; 10.56 to 39.5 per cent and 0.233 to 0.503 respectively followed by 59± 1.25 to 146±7.01; 29.50 to 73.06; 9.12 to 29.50 and 0.164 to 0.305 for C. sexmaculata. B. suturalis was found less effective in comparison to C. septempunctata and C. sexmaculata.