Rhizoecus root mealybugs have evolved to live underground. Rhizoecus falcifer, Rhizoecus americanus, and the newly imported hibiscus mealybug, Rhizoecus hibisci, are among them. The only difference between these root mealybugs is their minuscule appearance.
Adult females are 1/16 to 1/8 inch long, somewhat flattened with rounded ends. The body is blue-white with a shallow, white, fluffy bloom on top. They look like huge white springtails but move considerably slower.
Some species even release fine filaments that cover the insect in netting. They also exude a powdery, white fluff that imparts a blue tinge to the soil. The antennae of these mealybugs are small and nearly without eyes.
Host plant:
Ground mealybugs eat the roots of anemone, chrysanthemum, gladiolus, iris, and various other flowers, shrubs, and ornamental grasses. Pritchard’s mealybug is a major pest of African violets, but it also infests Achillea, Arctostaphylos, Geum, and Polygala.
Territory:
The ground mealybug was first described in France and may be found across the United States. Pritchard’s mealybug may be found across the United States.
Damages caused by Ground Mealybug:
Root mealy bugs are mealybugs that live underground and feed on plant roots. They have a thin, homogenous waxy covering and do not have the terminal wax filaments that foliar-feeding cousins do. Pritchard’s mealybug causes host plant devitalization, leaf degradation, and ultimately death.
Life history and habitat:
In Europe, the citrus mealybug is a pest of citrus and ornamental plants. Because female citrus mealybugs lack wings, they must be moved to the next host plant. They can, however, crawl for short distances, and the immatures can be blown around. Males are flying, tiny insects. Following mating, each female lays hundreds of eggs in a dense, fluffy secretion known as the egg sac or ovisac. New mealybugs hatch and crawl out of the ovisac after a few days. Light infestations are readily ignored because mealybugs like to wedge into cracks in the host plant. Mealybugs of all sizes can be observed crawling about or eating on all exposed plant surfaces as their population grows.
