NPDN 2007 Meeting - Pink Hibiscus Mealybug

NPDN National Meeting 2007

Poster Abstract

Pink Hibiscus Mealybug

Authors: AMANDA HODGES (1), Amy Roda (2), Greg Hodges (3)

Affiliations: (1) SPDN, University of Florida, Entomology and Nematology Department; (2) USDA-APHIS-PPQ-CPHST; (3) Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry

The pink hibiscus mealybug (PHM), Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green), is an exotic pest species that invaded California in 1999 and Florida in 2002. PHM has also been detected in Louisiana in 2006. Worldwide, PHM has been recorded from over 300 host plant species, including citrus, ornamentals, and vegetables. Despite federal (USDA-APHIS-PPQ) and state department of agriculture efforts to regulate and control the spread of PHM to other susceptible states, periodic movement of infested plant material does occur. In California and Florida, control methods have primarily consisted of releasing the parasitic wasps, Anagyrus kamali Moursi and Gyranusoidea indica Shafee, Alam and Agarwal (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), in order to maintain PHM populations below economically damaging levels. These parasitoids also have successfully controlled the mealybug in Grenada, the Bahamas, Belize, Guyana, Mexico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Early detection and correct diagnosis is essential to minimizing widespread economic damage and/or prevent further establishment in the U.S.. During 2005, the NPDN was involved in a collaborative project with the National IPM Centers, USDA-APHIS-PPQ, the National Plant Board, and several Land Grant University scientists to provide response, diagnostics, and education for this important exotic species.

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