White and fluffy or dangerous and malicious? Who is the mealybug?

Mealybug refers to sucking parasites, which can be seen with the naked eye. This pest got its name due to the white wax-like plaque on the body, which it releases in the process of life. Larvae and adult females are harmful; they extract nutritious juices from leaves, shoots, buds, and sometimes even roots, because of which the affected specimen begins to lag behind in growth and dies without proper treatment.

Characteristic

Mealybugs are a large family that includes more than 2,200 species. They are widespread almost everywhere and are able to exist normally both in the subtropics and in temperate climates, but representatives of most species are still concentrated in tropical zones.

On a note! About 330 species of mealybugs live on the territory of European countries!

Depending on the species, these parasites can infect fruit or industrial crops, ornamental or greenhouse plants. In the process of their life, mealybugs are mostly dispersed on the aerial parts of plants, but there are also species that live mainly in the thickness of the substrate and feed on rhizomes.

Description

The size of the mealybug body depends on its type and can range from 0.5 to 12 mm. In this family, sexual dimorphism is pronounced - females and males differ markedly in physiological characteristics.

The mealybug male is subtle and is similar in appearance to a small mosquito. His body is covered with a white powdery waxy coating. At the end of the abdomen are long brittle tail threads. There are wings, in most cases represented only by the first pair. Adult males do not feed and do not have a mouthpart.

The body of the female mealybug female has an oval oblong shape and is divided into three main parts: head, chest and abdomen. In this case, the upper side of the body is somewhat convex, the lower is flattened. The integument is soft. Representatives of some species have three pairs of small walking limbs, while others have none - females of these species remain motionless throughout life. The body of the females, as well as the males of the powdery mealybug, which can be seen in the photo, is covered with a whitish waxy powder coating, which can be either uniform, or be a kind of setae or outgrowths. The latter formations can be dispersed throughout the body or located exclusively on the edge or located only at the end of the abdomen. There is a mouth apparatus represented by a sucking organ.

Reproduction and development

Some types of flour worms are capable of successful reproduction without the participation of males. But even if the ratio of males and females is the same, during the migration of representatives of such species to greenhouse conditions, a sharp change in the ratio is observed towards an increase in the number of female individuals.

Fertility will also depend on species and can range from 300 to 2000 eggs.Representatives of most species of mealybug go through three stages of development: an egg - a larva - an adult, but some species have live births.

On a note! In a year, one female can give from 2 to 4 generations!

Egg

Before masonry is completed, the female leaves the host plant on which she was fed, and leaves for shelter. There she weaves a cocoon from her fibrous secretions, into which she subsequently lays eggs.

Eggs in most cases have a rounded shape, whitish color and a translucent structure. A caring mother with eggs is attached by a caring mother in the axils of the leaves or along the central veins. The walls of such a bag are quite dense, so the eggs in it are well protected from water and high humidity.

Larva

After 5-10 days, a larva emerges from the egg, which, before becoming an adult, experiences several molts. The larva of the first age has small dimensions, but it can move quite actively, since it already has three pairs of well-developed legs. Because of this, the young larvae were nicknamed "vagrants."
Due to the lack of wax coating, the mealybug larva is vulnerable, which makes it look for a special place for food, which should be not only comfortable, but also safe. After a suitable feeding trough has been found, the larva sticks to it and becomes motionless. Experiencing the molt, she again acquires mobility and is looking for a new place for food.

After two molts, the larvae turn into males, after three molts - into females.

Plant Infection: Causes

The reason for the appearance of a mealybug is a whole range of violations of the content of plants and their care:

• low indoor temperature;
• high humidity;
• waterlogging of the substrate;
• accumulation of fallen plant debris.

In addition, do not forget that you can bring in a mealybug yourself, for example, together with contaminated soil or simply on a new plant purchased in a store. If you want to replenish your collection of indoor flowers, then any new copy must first be quarantined for about two weeks. And only after it can be put on the same shelf with the rest of the plants.

Plus, it is advisable to regularly inspect all flowers for small white lumps on the surface of leaves and stems. Yellowing, deformed and dead leaflets, including young ones, as well as stunting will also indicate infection. The plant becomes painful and depressed in appearance.

Malware

Under favorable conditions, the mealybug multiplies very quickly and increases the size of the colony. But if the pest is detected on time, then the damage from it can be minimized.

Plants susceptible to infection by mealybug:

• philodendron;
• oleander;
• azalea;
• amaryllis;
• Anthurium
• gerbera;
• citrus;
• hibiscus;
• cacti
• grapes;
• monstera;
• palm trees;
• fuchsia;
• asparagus;
• Kalanchoe;
• cissus;
• camellia.

What threatens the appearance of mealybug on plants? As we already said, the affected specimen, devoid of nutritious juices, will begin to lag behind in growth, the foliage will gradually turn yellow, curl and fall. On the stems you can see the appearance of sticky cotton deposits, which without any intervention on your part will spread very quickly through the body of the plant.

In addition, this whitish coating represents an excellent environment for the development of bacterial and fungal diseases, and since the mealybug can feed on almost any part of the plant, the roots are quite capable of becoming infected, which greatly complicates the situation. Being in the substrate, the affected rhizomes continue to rot, and the disease, meanwhile, spreads more and more. And if you do not catch yourself in time, then soon you can lose one, and sometimes several of your favorite green pets.

It is interesting! Certain types of mealybugs, despite their enormous harmfulness to plants, are very useful for humans. So, for example, representatives of the species Cochineal and varnish worms secrete a substance called carmine, which is subsequently used in the manufacture of red paint!

Features of individual species

Absolutely all mealybugs, regardless of species, secrete a sticky secret, which is subsequently converted into a white cotton-like plaque. But at the same time, representatives of different species can have a different structure, and each will affect certain plants.

• Grapeworm. As the name implies, it parasitizes on vineyards. The body of adult females has an oval shape, slightly widened on the sides. These parasites multiply very quickly and in a short time can infect, and sometimes completely destroy, large vineyards. Yellowing leaves and dry shoots speak of infection with a grapeworm.
• Worm seaside. The body length of this pest does not exceed 4 mm. The integument is painted in gray or pinkish color. Years fall in the summer months. Being at the larval stage of development, the parasite eats constantly and after 5-6 weeks it turns into a sexually mature individual. When infected with a seaside worm, plants do not bloom, do not develop, and soon die.
• The bristle is bristly. The body length of the parasite often does not exceed 3.5 mm. The integument may have a pinkish or orange tint. Females of this species are viviparous and have well-developed running limbs, due to which they very quickly settle in plants located at some distance from each other. Plants affected by the bristle worm receive characteristic damage: leaves turn yellow, curl, fall off, shoots stop growing. At the same time, settling on the bulbous, the pest often creeps under the scales of the leaves, in citrus fruits it gets under the bark.

Remember that when infected with a mealybug, it is very important to immediately take steps to eliminate it. Careful and proper treatment of plants will help prevent the spread of the pest to healthy flowers and crops and save infected specimens from death.