Indian Lac Insect
Kerria lacca
📖 Description
Indian Lac Insect is a beneficial scale insect cultured across the Indian subcontinent for production of lac resin, lac dye and lac wax — India produces 60-70% of global lac, with major production in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal and Maharashtra. The female secretes a resinous covering that is harvested, processed and used in shellac, varnishes, food glazes (E904), cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and electrical insulation. Lac cultivation provides crucial livelihood for tribal communities — over 3 million people depend on lac for income. The insect has a complex lifecycle with one or two crops per year depending on strain (Kusmi strain on Kusum, Rangeeni strain on Palash/Ber). Major predators of lac crop are Eublemma amabilis (lac moth) and Holcocera pulverea (lac borer), which must be controlled by netting and biocontrol. Lac cultivation is a model of sustainable forest-based livelihood.
⚠️ Symptoms to watch for
- Branch encrustation with resin cells (positive sign for lac cultivation), branch die-back in heavy infestation (negative for tree health), resin yield 100-300 kg/ha/crop (positive economic output)
🩹 Treatment
- No treatment needed — this is a beneficial insect reared for lac resin. For lac cultivation: inoculate branches with broodlac at 20-30 g per 1 m branch, prune host trees before inoculation, maintain host nutrition, protect from predators
🌿 Organic treatments
- Lac is itself an organic bioresource. Protect crop from predators (Eublemma, Holcocera) by covering broodlac with 60-mesh nylon net during crawler emergence, apply Trichogramma to control moth predators, maintain host tree health with organic manure
🧪 Chemical treatments
- Generally avoided (would kill the lac insect). Limited use of mild insecticides only against specific predators during non-crop period. Most chemical control is incompatible with lac cultivation.
🛡️ Prevention
- Prevent predator infestation (Eublemma amabilis, Holcocera pulverea are major predators of lac crop) by maintaining net covers and quarantine, prune host trees annually, maintain host tree diversity for year-round broodlac availability, plant Flemingia semialata as quick-growing host
🪴 Affected plants
- Host trees — Kusum (Schleichera oleosa), Palash (Butea monosperma), Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana), Rain Tree (Samanea saman), Flemingia (Flemingia semialata)
🦋 Natural predators
- Eublemma amabilis (lac moth), Holcocera pulverea (lac borer) — these are PESTS of lac crop, not beneficial
🌱 Host plants
- Schleichera oleosa, Butea monosperma, Ziziphus mauritiana, Flemingia semialata, Samanea saman
🔄 Lifecycle
- Female lays 200-500 eggs inside lac cell.
- Eggs hatch in 1-2 days into crawlers (1st instar nymphs).
- Crawlers disperse to new branches and settle, insert stylet, secrete resin.
- Female molts 2-3 times over 14-20 weeks, becoming legless and sessile.
- Male passes through 4 instars, developing wings.
- Adult lifespan 4-8 weeks (female), 3-5 days (male).
- One or two crops per year (Kusmi: 2 crops; Rangeeni: 1-2 crops).
📅 Season
- Baisakhi crop (Jun-Oct) and Katki crop (Oct-Jun) for Kusmi; Aghani crop (Jul-Jan) and Jethwi crop (Jan-Jun) for Rangeeni
🔎 Appearance
- Female is a legless, wingless, sessile scale insect covered by a resinous cell (lac cell) — yellowish-orange to dark brown.
- Male is small, winged, with two pairs of transparent wings and no mouthparts.
- Crawlers (1st instar nymphs) are tiny, red, mobile and disperse to new branches.
💥 Damage level
- Beneficial
🔁 Reproduction rate
- Moderate
🗺️ Geographic regions
- Indian Subcontinent
- South Asia
- Southeast Asia
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