Pink Hibiscus Mealybug

As it feeds, the hibiscus mealybug injects into the plant a toxic saliva that results in malformed leaf and shoot growth, stunting, and occasional death. Leaves show a characteristic curling, similar to damage caused by viruses. Heavily infested plants have shortened internodes leading to resetting or a "bunchy top" appearance. A heavy, black, sooty mold may develop on an infested plant's leaves and stems as a result of the mealybug's heavy honey-dew secretions. When fruits are infested, they can be entirely covered with the white waxy coating of the mealybug. Infestation can lead to fruit drop, or fruit may remain on the host in a dried and shriveled condition. If flower blossoms are attacked, the fruit sets poorly. In plants such as peanuts, potatoes, and some grasses, the pest has been reported to attack the root systems.

This pest occurs in most tropical areas of the world, including Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and Oceania. The hibiscus mealybug arrived in Egypt from India in 1912 and in Hawaii in 1984. It appeared in Grenada, Trinidad, and St. Kitts in the 1990s. It is a very serious pest in the Caribbean where it attacks many hosts of economic importance and disrupts Caribbean agricultural trade and commerce. Wingless crawlers, nymphs, and females have been known to travel short distances over the ground to get to other host plants in adjoining fields. …