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Citrus Mealybug
Planococcus citri
33.135, -117.034
Field Notes
Description:
These are quite an agricultural pest! "Mealybugs extract plant sap, reducing tree vigor, and excrete honeydew, which gets on plant surfaces and provides a surface upon which sooty mold grows. If a cluster of mealybugs feeds along a fruit stem, fruit drop can occur. Damage is most severe in spring and fall.
Mealybugs are soft, oval, flat, distinctly segmented, and covered with a white, mealy wax that extends into spines (filaments) along the body margin and the posterior end. The species differ mainly in the thickness and length of the waxy filaments. Citrus mealybug, the most common species, has a pinkish body that is visible through the powdery wax. The filaments around its margins are not appreciably longer at the posterior end."
Habitat:
Lemon tree in backyard. These are found worldwide.
Notes:
"Newly hatched nymphs are light yellow and free of wax, but soon start to excrete a waxy cover. There are two to three overlapping generation a year. Mealybugs are often found between clusters of grapefruit, especially in groves tended by ants."
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