Hidden pests
These are pests that live and feed inside plant tissues, making them protected from direct contact with conventional insecticides.
Также говорят: internal pests, endophytophagous pests, boring pests
This group includes leaf miners, stem borers, weevils, and gall midges that inhabit the internal structures of stems, fruits, or leaves. Because they remain inside the plant, they are often undetected until significant damage to the crop yield or plant health has already occurred.
Management strategies require the application of systemic insecticides that are absorbed by the plant and translocated through its vascular system. Timing is critical, as treatments should ideally be applied during the oviposition period or just before the larvae penetrate the plant tissue.
A common error is relying on contact-based pesticides after the pests have bored into the plant tissue, which results in poor control efficacy and unnecessary chemical exposure.