Homoptera: Pseudococcidae:
Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green)
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The pink, or hibiscus mealybug (PMB), is currently the, economically, most important mealybug species in the Caribbean. It
- affects a very large number of plant species
- is the only mealybug species in the Caribbean to inject a toxin into the plant host
- is extremely well protected from externally applied insecticides because of cover provided by distorted plant parts
- is not yet (adequately) controlled by natural enemies on several islands in the Caribbean
Long term control can only be achieved by biological means: the release of predators and parasites into the environment to kill the mealybugs.
More than 51,000 parasitic wasps have already been released in the U.S. Virgin Islands, over 19,000 on St. Croix (for release sites check the St. Croix map).
The two species of wasps currently being reared on St. Thomas at the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture facility are Anagyrus kamali and Gyranusoidea indica. These parasites originate from China (plus Hawaii) and Egypt, respectively. Details of the rearing method can be checked out elsewhere.