Description
There are several species of mealybug that can be seen in a production nursery. Mealybugs are small, oval shaped, soft bodied insects that can crawl around. Female mealybugs grow to about four millimetres long. Their body is orange, yellow, pink or white, covered with powdery white wax and surrounded by long white filaments. The male mealybug is a small gnat-like flying insect.
Mealybugs often live in colonies and produce white wax which covers the areas they live in. This makes visually locating them easier. They will usually hide on sheltered or protected parts of a plant and will often be found hiding in leaf axils.
| Scientific names | Māori/common names |
|---|---|
| Asplenium spp., Blechnum spp., Cyathea spp., Dicksonia spp. |
Ferns, ponga, hen and chicken fern, whekī, whekī ponga, pikopiko, kiokio |
| Astelia spp. | Bush flax, bush lily, kakaha, kowharawhara |
| Cordyline spp. | Tī kōuka, cabbage tree, tī |
| Dacrycarpus dacrydioides | Kahikatea, white pine |
| Myrsine australis | Red matipo, mapau |
| Phormium tenax, Phormium cookianum | Flax, harakeke, wharariki, korari, swamp flax, mountain flax |
Scientific names
Asplenium spp., Blechnum spp.,
Cyathea spp., Dicksonia spp.
Cyathea spp., Dicksonia spp.
Māori/common names
Ferns, ponga, hen and chicken fern, whekī, whekī
ponga, pikopiko, kiokio
ponga, pikopiko, kiokio
Scientific names
Astelia spp.
Māori/common names
Bush flax, bush lily, kakaha, kowharawhara
Scientific names
Cordyline spp.
Māori/common names
Tī kōuka, cabbage tree, tī
Scientific names
Dacrycarpus dacrydioides
Māori/common names
Kahikatea, white pine
Scientific names
Myrsine australis
Māori/common names
Red matipo, mapau
Scientific names
Phormium tenax, Phormium cookianum
Māori/common names
Flax, harakeke, wharariki, korari, swamp flax,
mountain flax
mountain flax
Symptoms and damage
- Mealybugs are sap-sucking insects that excrete honeydew which can attract ants and growth of sooty mould.
- Will infest most parts of a plant including leaves and stems.
- Root mealybugs are common in containerised plants and will display white fluffy patches on the roots.
- Stunted growth.
- Heavy infestation can severely damage or kill juvenile plants.
Prevention and control tips
- Mealybug can be difficult to kill due to their waxy coating and the protected areas they hide in.
- Biological control organisms.
- Weed management.
- Insect growth regulators.
- Plant soap.
- Spray oil.
- Systemic insecticides.
Natural Predators
- Lacewings.
- Ladybirds.
- Parasitic wasps.