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Grape mealybug
Pseudococcus maritimus (Ehrhorn)

(Homoptera: Pseudococcidae)

-- Everett C. Burts and John Dunley

(originally published 1993)

The grape mealybug was originally described as a pest of grapes, but it can attack most deciduous fruit crops. Since the 1970s, it has become an
increasingly severe pest of pear and apple. It is slow to spread from orchard to orchard, but once an orchard is infested, the infestation is difficult to
clean up. It is usually only a problem on large, mature trees, which are difficult to spray thoroughly and provide shelter for the mealybugs.

Hosts
Grape mealybug attacks many plant species including all tree fruits grown in the Northwest as well as other rosaceous plants, grapes, ornamental
trees and shrubs. This insect is able to develop new host strains, which allows it to adapt to more hosts. Adaptations may include different
development rates and numbers of generations per year.

Life stages
Egg: The egg is a salmon colored, elongated oval. Eggs are laid in masses of waxy filaments
that have a cottony appearance.

Nymph: The first instar nymph, or crawler, is pink to salmon colored and has well developed
legs. The crawler is covered with a light coating of waxy granules, giving it the appearance of
being coated with flour. After settling to feed, the crawler molts into a sedentary nymph, and
the coating of wax becomes heavier. The sedentary nymph has poorly developed legs. It is
pink to purple, but the waxy filaments give it a whitish cast.

Adult: The adult female is wingless

and looks similar to a nymph. It can be
up to 3/16 inch (5 mm) long. It has a
well developed ring of waxy filaments
around the sides of its body. Filaments
are longest at the posterior end of the
body and become progressively Grape mealybug on shoot (E. Burts)
shorter towards the front of the body.
The adult male is much smaller than
the female and has wings held flat over the back. It is a fragile insect and resembles a male
scale.

Grape mealybug nymph (ex apple) (E. Beers,

July 1987) Life history
Grape mealybugs overwinter as eggs
or crawlers within the loose cottony
egg sac under bark scales on scaffold limbs, in other sheltered places on trees, or in duff at
the bases of trees.

Crawlers start emerging from egg sacs at the beginning of bud swell and begin feeding on
the bases of buds. When buds open they go directly to new shoots and leaves. Because
some overwintering sites are exposed to sun while others are shaded, crawler movement
occurs over a long time, ending at about petal fall. First generation nymphs mature during
late June and July in the Northwest. Adult males appear first, mate with last instar nymphs or Grape mealybug male (E. Beers, July 2000)
adult females and die. Receptive females release a pheromone to attract males. Mated
females migrate to sheltered areas, lay eggs and die in the egg sac. A partial second
generation matures in late August and September. Nymphs of this generation sometimes settle in or around the fruit calyx.

Damage
The most obvious damage by grape mealybug results from the honeydew it secretes. Honeydew is cast off in small drops and falls down through
the canopy. When it lands on fruit it causes a coarse, black russet, which is similar to pear psylla russeting. However, mealybug russeting is
scattered over the fruit surface, while honeydew from psylla is in patches or streaks. Mealybug russeting is most common in low centers of trees,
 whereas psylla damage occurs more
evenly over the trees or in the tops.

When mealybug populations are

dense, they may enter the calyx ends
of fruit, causing contamination
problems on processed fruit. Their
feeding softens tissue in the calyx and
around the seed cavity. Symptoms
resemble those of a disorder called
pink end.

Monitoring
Grape mealybug in apple calyx (E. Beers, July
There are no established treatment or
damage thresholds for grape 2007)
mealybug. When infestations are
detected they usually need to be
controlled. Check during the dormant
season for eggs and crawlers in egg
sacs under bark scales on scaffold
limbs and in other protected areas on
trees. The white cottony mass makes
egg sacs easy to see. During delayed-
dormant and clusterbud stages,
crawlers can be monitored by
examining developing buds on short
limbs and spurs arising from scaffold
limbs in low centers of trees. It is easy
to detect infestations in late June or
July when mature females are crawling
back to larger limbs to deposit eggs or
during harvest when damaged fruit is evident in bins. However, little can be done to control
mealybugs at these times. If the infestation is spotty, as it often is when this pest first invades Grape mealybug damage to 'Anjou' pear (E.
orchards, mark infested trees so they can be given special attention. Beers, September 1994)

Biological control
The predator-parasitoid complex that attacks grape mealybug in orchards has not been thoroughly studied. Many generalist predators, such as
lacewings, ladybird beetles and predaceous bugs, will feed on this pest. An encyrtid egg parasitoid, Acerophagus notativentris, is common in
infested orchards. Grape mealybug populations are generally reduced to nondamaging levels by natural control in orchards where soft pesticide
programs are used for a few years.

Management
Chemical control: Chemical control of grape mealybug works best when sprays are aimed at the crawler stage. Once crawlers settle and cover
themselves with wax they are less susceptible to chemicals, as are crawlers still in the egg sac. Crawlers emerge from egg sacs over a long
period. First generation emergence continues from delayed-dormant stage of tree development to petal fall. Effective chemical residues must be
maintained throughout that period. A series of sprays, including delayed-dormant, clusterbud and petal fall applications, is required to control first
generation crawlers. The two most effective times to spray are clusterbud and petal fall. Both sprays are needed and good spray coverage is
essential. If possible, apply succeeding sprays at right angles to the preceding one to improve coverage of hard-to-hit areas of trees. Scaly areas
on trunks and limbs and sucker crowns in the tops of trees should be sprayed with a handgun.

Cultural practices: Certain cultural practices can reduce severity of grape mealybug attack. This pest is more difficult to control on large, old trees
with high scaffold limbs and large sucker crowns. Pruning out sucker crowns, removing high scaffold limbs during winter pruning and removing
water sprouts (suckers) from scaffold limbs through the center of trees during early summer not only removes tender growth susceptible to attack
by mealybugs but also improves spray penetration. Pull water sprouts by hand, rather than cut them with loppers, to minimize regrowth. This
should be done before sprouts develop woody attachment to limbs, normally before the end of June.

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