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Grape
mealybug
Rufus
Isaacs, MSU Entomology |
| Home > Scouting guide> grape mealybug |
| Mealybugs are a sporadic pest of grapes in the eastern United States. Adults are soft, oval, flat, distinctly segmented and covered with a waxy layer that extends into spines along the body margin and the posterior end. The pinkish body is visible through the powdery wax. Mealybugs are most commonly found in the crevices of the wood or on berries near the trunk. They may be tended by ants that feed on honeydew.
Mealybug damage
is primarily cosmetic and occurs when honeydew produced by the feeding
insects drops onto nearby leaves and fruit. The honeydew acts as
a growth medium for sooty molds that can spoil fruit quality. |
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| Sooty
mold developing on mealybug honeydew. |
Adult
female with an ant. 3 mm. |
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