The female lac insect is responsible for the large-scale production of lac, which is larger than the male lac insect.
After copulation, the male insect dies. The female develops very rapidly after fertilization and lays about 200 to 500 eggs. Eggs hatch into larvae after six weeks. The mass emergence of larvae from the egg in search of a host plant is called ‘swarming’.
After settling on the host, the larvae start feeding continuously and the secretion of lac also starts simultaneously. Gradually the larvae become fully covered by lac. Then the larvae moult in their respective cells (chamber). The shapes of the cells are different for male and female insects, males are elongated whereas and the female is oval. The process of introducing lac insect on the host plant is called inoculation. Before inoculation, pruning of the host plant is done. The twigs having brood lac, i.e., lac insect about 20 cm in length are attached to fresh host plants. The lac insect then repeats its life cycle.
