For details on each stage click on the appropriate image.
The life cycle of the mealybug is completed in about a month
depending on the prevailing temperature.
Males have wings and two long waxy filaments, females are wingless.
Females can lay up to 650 eggs depending on the host plant, which means that
without natural control, the mealybug population can build up very rapidly.
The most severe damage has been observed in
plants belonging to the Malvaceae family (hibiscus, cotton, okra, sorrel)
and the Annonaceae family (soursop, sugar apple, custard apple).
Many other plants are potential hosts.
