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MEALYBUG



Ants trigger secretions of honeydew from mealybug and scale insects, and sooty moulds grow on the honeydew
Ants trigger secretions of honeydew from mealybug and scale insects, and sooty moulds grow on the honeydew
Photo credit: David Madge
Look For Look For Notes

   LOOK FOR


    Look for in leaves
  • Young mealybugs on undersides of basal leaves inside the canopy from late spring (later in cooler regions). Use a hand lens
  • Sticky leaves and ant activity in dense canopies or where mealybugs have occurred previously

   CONDITIONS

  • Build up during mild summers
  • Mealybuts have soft bodies covered with a white powdery wax and are fringed by white filaments.
  • Young mealybugs survive over winter beneath vine bark and in cracks in trellis posts. At budburst, they move onto leaves. There are often three generations each season. Expect to find infestations in small patches within the vineyard.

   NOTES

    When you find infested vines, tag them, then monitor those vines next spring to find young mealybugs.
    Look carefully for beneficial insects feeding on mealybugs e.g. ladybirds or lacewing larvae, and mealybugs parasitised by wasps.

OTHER MEALYBUG IMAGES

Adult long-tailed mealybug on a grape berry Adult and young stages of the long-tailed mealy bug. Newly hatched mealybugs are tiny, yellow and move very quickly Obscure mealybug Citrophilus mealybug (up to 15 mm) Look for sticky honeydew and wax debris to indicate mealybug infestations. The honeydew can lead to sooty mould Honeydew on berry White waxy deposits from an infestation of obscure mealybug

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