MEALY BUG

Mealybug

These plant-sucking pests are a familiar problem in greenhouses, in gardens, and on indoor plants. Here’s how to control mealybugs naturally with beneficial insects, insecticidal soaps, and other natural techniques.

Found in warmer growing climates, mealybugs are soft-bodied, wingless insects that often appear as white cottony masses on the leaves, stems and fruit of plants. They feed by inserting long sucking mouthparts, called stylets, into plants and drawing sap out of the tissue. Damage is not often significant at low pest levels. However, at higher numbers they can cause leaf yellowing and curling as the plant weakens. Feeding is usually accompanied by honeydew, which makes the plant sticky and encourages the growth of sooty moulds. Mealybugs are a common greenhouse pest that affect ornamentals, houseplants, avocados and fruits.

Identification

Adults (1/10 — 1/4 inch long) are soft, oval distinctly segmented insects that are usually covered with a white or gray mealy wax. Small nymphs, called crawlers, are light yellow and free of wax. They are active early on, but move little once a suitable feeding site is found.

Note: There are approximately 275 species of mealybugs known to occur throughout the india

Life Cycle

Adult females deposit 300-600 eggs within an excreted, compact, waxy cottony-appearing mass mostly found on the underside of leaves (these egg cases can be confused with downy mildew). Egg laying is continues for about 2 weeks with the female dying shortly after all eggs are laid. Hatching occurs within 1-3 weeks and the small active yellow nymphs begin migrating over the plant in search of feeding sites on which to settle.