Tag Archives: mealybug
Mealybugs on hibiscus common this summer
Mealybugs are perhaps best known as pests of indoor plants. But occasionally mealybugs strike outdoors flowers and shrubs. The striped mealybug, Ferrisia virgata Cockerell, is one such pest that has been showing up in Texas gardens this summer. Mealybugs are pests that feed on plant sap. Most are white in color, from a white wax produced by special glands on the tops and sides of their bodies. The patterns, form and length of the waxy filaments on mealybug bodies help us identify the different species of mealybugs. The striped… Read More →
Pink hibiscus mealybug found in Texas
PORT ARANSAS – The pink hibiscus mealybug – which may be of concern to Texas citrus and ornamental industries – has been found near Port Aransas, Texas. “This mealybug is a potentially serious pest of many ornamental and agricultural crops,” said Dr. Carlos Bogran of College Station, Texas Cooperative Extension entomologist. First discovered in the U.S. in Florida in 2002, the pink hibiscus mealybug has also been found in California and Louisiana. It feeds by sucking plant sap from more than 300 species in 74 plant families, Bogran… Read More →