Integrated pest management resources for Michigan Michigan State University home IPM Michigan home
IPM Scouting in Herbaceous Perennials

Search
Resources
bulletChristmas trees
bulletField crops
bulletFruit
bulletHome and yard
bulletNursery and landscape
bulletTurfgrass
bulletVegetable

Related pest diagnostic/management programs
Diagnostic Services ● Soil/Plant Nutrient Lab ● Enviro-weather ●Regional IPM Center ● Pesticide safety ● Organic: New Ag Network ● Invasive species ●Sustainable ag & food systems

Organizations
MSU ANR departments ● MSU Extension ● Site index ●Contacts/permissions
Mealybugs
IPM scouting in herbaceous perennials > mealybugs
Mealybugs feed on plant sap with their piercing-sucking mouthparts. Heavy infestations of mealybugs on plants can result in leaf yellowing, leaf drop, plant wilting and stunting. Mealybugs also produce large quantities of honeydew, a clear, sticky liquid, which serves as an ideal growing medium for black sooty mold fungi.

Management: Dispose of heavily infested plants immediately. Contact insecticides may be used, but sprays must be applied when crawlers are present because once the later instars have developed the waxy coating, contact insecticides are less effective. Systemic insecticides typically need to be applied before mealybugs are present.
Mealybugs  Mealybugs
Mealybugs are 3 to 6 mm long, orange-pink when young. Mature adults look like cottony white flecks with fringe of waxy filaments surrounding the body. Mealybugs usually feed in leaf and stem axils and along leaf veins.
This information was developed from A Pocket Guide for IPM Scouting in Herbaceous Perennials by Jan Byrne and Raymond A. Cloyd. Purchase this in a pocket-sized guide for reference in the orchard from MSU Extension (publication E-2981).
The MSU IPM Program maintains this site as an access point to pest management information at MSU. The IPM Program is administered within the Department of Entomology, fueled by research from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, delivered to citizens through MSU Extension, and proud to be a part of Project GREEEN.
Email the web developer.
Updated 9/28/07