Grape Mealybugs

Your grapes and pomegranates may be under attack by grape mealybugs.

Grape mealybug (Eugene E. Nelson, Bugwood.org) CC BY 3.0 US

​Grape mealybug description

Grape mealybugs (Pseudococcus maritimus) are small, white, flat-bodied plant suckers that appear to have a fringed skirt.

​Grape mealybug lifecycle

These pests have two generations each year. Eggs and crawlers overwinter under bark and in crevices. In spring, they emerge and begin converging on young shoots, where they start to feed. Those early risers then return to the safety of the bark, where they lay more eggs.

Grapes infested with grape mealybugs (Eugene E. Nelson, Bugwood.org) CC BY 3.0 US

Damage caused by grape mealybugs

Besides looking gross and making your fruit inedible, clustered grape mealybugs can open Pandora’s box to fruit rot and other diseases.

How to manage grape mealybugs

Natural predators, such as the predaceous gall midge (Dicrodiplosis californica) and the little brown mealybug destroyer (Scymnobius sordidus) can keep these pests under control, so avoid broad spectrum pesticides. If chemical treatments are absolutely necessary, Applaud has been found effective.