Japanese Mealybug – Phenacoccus japonicas

Japanese Mealybug (Phenacoccus japonicas)

Common Name: Japanese Mealybug

Latin Name: Phenacoccus japonicas

Appearance:

• Adults are soft, oval insects that measure between 1/10 and 1/4 of an inch in length and have visible segmentation.
• They are typically covered with a mealy wax that is either white or grey.
• Crawlers are the names of smaller nymphs that are wax-free and pale yellow.
• They are busy in the early stages, but once a good feeding spot has been located, they wander around very little.

Territory:

Japanese Mealybug is occurring throughout the United States.

Damages caused by Japanese Mealybug:

When there are low numbers of pests, the damage they cause is usually not considered. At higher concentrations, though, they can cause the plant’s leaves to yellow, curl, and weaken the plant overall. Honeydew, which causes the plant to become sticky and fosters the growth of sooty moulds, is typically produced while a plant is fed. Mealybugs are frequent insects that can be found in greenhouses. They feed on ornamentals, houseplants, avocados, and fruits.

Life history and habits:

Mealybugs are wingless insects with soft bodies that thrive in warmer growing regions. They frequently appear as white cottony masses on plants’ leaves, stems, and fruit. Mealybugs feed on plant sap. They obtain their nutrition by inserting mouthparts known as stylets, lengthy sucking mouthparts, into the tissue of plants and sucking off the sap.