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Mealybug Destroyer

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri

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33.1468, -117.009

Field Notes

Description:

White, fuzzy looking insects. Ants were all over them.

Habitat:

Ants are infesting these young lemons along with these white insects, aphids and scales.

Notes:

The adult beetle spotting is at: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/7350646

Reference Links:

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri

Species ID Suggestions

Mealy Bug Destroyer

Cryptolaemus montrouzieri

Reference Link
ceherzog
1

Comments (17)
CindyBinghamKeiser
Thank you misako.hill! Sorry my notification was turned off for a while :)
ceherzog
Goody...look hard before you decide to destroy an organism!
Ava T-B
Mealybug destroyers do an amazingly good job of cleaning up unwanted pests!
CindyBinghamKeiser
I admittedly cut the lemons off the tree and put them in the organic waste bin. After seeing the corrected ID, I quickly retrieved it and put them on back on a tree :)
ceherzog
FYI here's what a wooly aphid looks like: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/6891233
CindyBinghamKeiser
Wow, now it seems that I WANT this on my plant :) Interesting that they were introduced from Australia. I'll update the ID now. Thank you ceherzog!
ceherzog
Here's one I spotted on citrus in Florida http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/6200003
ceherzog
This Mealybug Destroyer is a beneficial insect, the larvae of a Mealybug Ladybird. Hope you didn't kill it...on your video it appeared to be eating aphids...it also eats mealybugs and scale insects.
CindyBinghamKeiser
Thank you all for your help! It looks to be the Wooly Aphid and the ants love the honeydew :)
lori.tas
I think auntnance meant to suggest woolly aphids. If it's an aphid or scale insect, it could be that the ants are 'farming' them for honeydew. Look up 'ants and aphids' for more information about how that works.
AlexKonig
try to search about the ants. when it comes from infesting through ants, you schould be able to find something on the i-net

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Southern California Wildlife
Mission
Interaction between different species of Arthropods
Mission
California Coleoptera
Mission
Caterpillars and larvae of the World
Mission
Beetles!

Tags

Photographed
PublishedSeptember 3, 2011

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