deodar defoliator ( Ectropis deodarae ), a forest pest has affected about one lakh cedar trees in Naganalli and Mihani ranges of Theog forest division of Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh ( hp ). An area of 60 hectares (ha) of cedar forests in Naganalli and 40 ha in Mihani had been attacked by the deodar defoliator this summer, says T D Verma, who is with the department of entomology at Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, hp . He fears that the attack may become epidemic, if appropriate action is not taken.

Ectropis deodarae had attacked about 100 ha area in Naldera and Badmain forests of Mashobra and Bhajji ranges. Deodar is a valuable tree growing between 1800 to 2600 metres above sea level in the north-west Himalaya