Taxus Mealybug – Dysmicoccus wistariae

Taxus Mealybug – Dysmicoccuswistariae

Common Name: Taxus Mealybug

Latin Name: Dysmicoccuswistariae

Appearance:

• Adult females are the pest’s most visible stage.
• Females are round, hemispherical, eight to ten millimeters long, and five millimeters broad.
• The skin is red and coated in white, waxy fluids. White, waxy filaments extend from the body’s edge as well. Under the waxy layer, body parts are visible.
• Males are little two-winged white insects. Immatures (nymphs) look a lot like scale crawlers. They are relatively minor at this stage, with smooth bodies that range from pale yellow to brown.

Territory:

The Taxus Mealybug (Dysmicoccus wistariae) occurs in most northeastern and central states.

Damages caused by Taxus Mealy bug:

This insect’s waxy substance can thoroughly coat strongly afflicted branches and trunks. Taxus Mealybugs feed on the stem and branches’ inner bark tissue. Feeding promotes needle discoloration and excessive needle casts. Severely afflicted plants may be poorly foliated, with honeydew and black sooty mold caked on the surviving needles and twigs.

Life history and habits:

Adult females of the grape mealybug represent the Taxus mealybug adult, except they are somewhat smaller. Females are around six millimeters long and three millimeters broad when fully mature. Grape Mealybug immatures and adult males look similar to Taxus mealybugs. Grape mealybug immatures begin eating in early spring and finish growth by mid-June. When adults mate, the female lays eggs in heaps of white, waxy secretions. By mid-July, the eggs had hatched, and the second-generation immatures had begun to eat. This generation’s development is completed in late summer or early fall when adults mate and deposit eggs. If the eggs hatch during the warm fall weather, this species will overwinter as an egg or as an immature. Every year, there are two generations.