Invasive Species: Pink Hibiscus Mealybug
The pink hibiscus mealybug (Maconellicoccus hirsutus), an invasive species, was collected in Covington, La., from a shipment of hibiscus purchased by Wal-Mart from a nursery in Florida. Shipments from the Florida nursery went to 80 Wal-Mart and Lowe’s stores in Louisiana.
This serious pest of agriculture and nursery crops is found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. It was first found in the Caribbean in 1994, in Florida in June of 2002 and recently in California. This invasive species can attack a variety of agricultural crops including citrus, avocado, carambola, fig, guava, mango, grapes, mango, soursop, peanuts, cotton, corn, beans and sugarcane; vegetable crops including asparagus, beans, beets, cabbage, pigeon peas, cucumber, lettuce, pepper, pumpkin and tomato; forest trees and many species of ornamentals including allamanda, anthurium, bougainvillea, croton, ginger lilly, heliconia, hibiscus, palm and oleander.
It is not known if any of the PHMB-infested plants were purchased by homeowners and planted around homes. Populations can be hard to detect initially but can build up quickly and spread by wind, birds, animals and humans.
The mealybug feeds by sucking the plant juices through piercing sucking mouthparts. It injects a toxin into the plant as it feeds. This produces malformed leaves and fruit and can stunt the leaves and the terminal growth. Heavy populations can cause the death of infested plant material. Economic losses have exceeded $3.5 million a year in Grenada and $125 million a year in Trinidad and Tobago.
Because of the potential economics of this pest and the variety of plant material affected, USDA/APHIS/PPQ, in conjunction with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry and the LSU AgCenter Department of Entomology, is initiating a survey to determine if the Pink Hibiscus Mealybug has become established in Louisiana. Anyone finding infestations of mealybugs on any commodity is asked to take a sample and send them to Dr. Dale K. Pollet, A547 Life Sciences Building, Department of Entomology, Baton Rouge, LA 70893.
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