Grape mealybug

Grape mealybug
Rufus Isaacs, MSU Entomology

Mealybugs are a sporadic pest of grapes in the eastern United States. Adults are soft, oval, flat, distinctly segmented and covered with a waxy layer that extends into spines along the body margin and the posterior end. The pinkish body is visible through the powdery wax. Mealybugs are most commonly found in the crevices of the wood or on berries near the trunk. They may be tended by ants that feed on honeydew.

Mealybug damage is primarily cosmetic and occurs when honeydew produced by the feeding insects drops onto nearby leaves and fruit. The honeydew acts as a growth medium for sooty molds that can spoil fruit quality.


Sooty mold developing on mealybug honeydew.	Adult female with an ant. 3 mm.

Additional information

Search MSU Fruit CAT Alert newsletter for articles. Type in keyword: grape mealybug
Grape Mealybug fact sheet by Mark Longstroth.
Recommendations from the Michigan Fruit Management Guide

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Funding for this web site provided by Project GREEEN, American Farmland Trust, EPA Region 5's Strategic Agricultural Initiative program, The National Foundation for IPM Education, the Center for Agricultural Partnerships and the MSU Integrated Pest Management Program
in collaboration with MSU Extension and the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station.
Updated 11/27/07 Contact: J.N. Landis.