How to Manage Pests

Obscure mealybug
Pseudococcus affinis
Identification tip: Obscure mealybug adults are light gray to white, covered with a powdery wax, and have distinct filaments around the body. They occur on many hosts.

Longtailed mealybug
Pseudococcus longispinus
Identification tip: The longtailed mealybug is commonly a pest only on nursery stock and indoor ornamentals. It is distinguished by its two tail filaments, which are longer than its body.

Citrus mealybug
Planococcus citri
Identification tip: Citrus mealybug is a pest of citrus and some indoor ornamentals. It has short, waxy filaments of equal length all around its margin; a dark stripe may be visible down its back.

Cypressbark mealybug
Ehrhornia cupressi
Identification tip: The cypress bark mealybug occurs beneath bark plates on cedar, cypress, and juniper in Pacific Coast states. Nymphs and adults are round, bright red or orangish, and are surrounded by a ring of white wax.

Ground mealybugs
Rhizoecusspp.
Identification tip:Ground mealybugs commonly live in the soil and feed on the roots of many different plants. They may be covered with white wax and their short antennae and legs may be visible, but they do not have obvious filaments along their sides and tail.

Gill mealybugs
Ferrisia gilli
Identification tip: Gill's mealybug causes problems on pistachios, almonds, grapes, stone fruits, and many deciduous ornamentals. They have pink bodies and are covered in white wax. They are also sometimes covered in crystalline filaments, giving the appearance of having long glassy rods.

Pink hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus
Identification tip: The pink hibiscus mealybug is a major problem of many plant species, including citrus, grapes, fig, mulberry, hibiscus, coral tree, and orchid tree. Adults are small, pink, and covered with a waxy secretion. They have very short waxy filaments, often covered by the white mealy wax.

Golden mealybug, Nipaecoccus aurilanatus
Identification tip: Golden mealybugs infest pine and other araucarias. They have dark purple bodies with a yellow stripe on their upper surface.

Coconut mealybug, Nipaecoccus nipae
Identification tip: Coconut mealybugs infest palms, avocado, and some flower species. Adult females are oval with yellowish orange bodies and yellow wax. Pyramid-shaped wax tufts surround the body.

Comstock mealybug, Pseudococcus comstocki
Identification tip: The Comstock mealybug primarily occurs on lemons in the San Joaquin Valley and has a thicker wax cover than the citrus mealybug. In addition, it has two spines at the posterior end, about one-quarter the length of the body.

Vine mealybug, Planococcus ficus
Identification tip: Vine mealybugs are small (adult females are about 1/8 inch in length), soft, oval, flat, distinctly segmented, and covered with a white, mealy wax that extends into spines (filaments along the body margin and the posterior end). The vine mealybug has a pinkish body that is visible through the powdery wax.

Grape mealybug, Pseudococcus maritimus
Identification tip: The grape mealybug and the obscure mealybug closely resemble each other. One method of distinguishing them in the field is to poke a female with a sharp point (without puncturing the body) to elicit the release of a defensive excretion. If the color of the fluid excreted is reddish orange, then it is most likely grape mealybug.

Solenopsis mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Identification tip: The solenopsis mealybug has a wide host range, feeding on various broadleaf species such as tomatoes, eggplant, melons, and potatoes. Adult females have oval bodies covered with a waxy covering with dark bare areas on the thorax and abdomen.