Vine mealybug

Planococcus ficus

1. Identification

• Common name: Vine mealybug
• Scientific name: Planococcus ficus Signoret
• Order: Hemiptera
• Family: Pseudococcidae

2. Pest description

• Adult females oval, whitish, covered by waxy secretions; males winged, small and short-lived.
• Nymphs flattened, yellowish to pinkish, with lateral waxy filaments.
• Eggs protected by cottony masses attached to the plant.

3. Main hosts

• Grapevine.
• Occasional secondary hosts: fig tree, pomegranate tree and some ornamentals.

4. Symptoms and damage

• Presence of cottony masses on buds, bunches, internodes and roots.
• Production of honeydew, favouring the development of sooty mould.
• Berries stained, cracked or commercially devalued.
• Reduction of vigour and productivity in heavy infestations.
• Potential transmission of grapevine viruses (e.g.: GLRaV‑3).

5. Biological cycle

• Winter spent as a nymph in shelters of the plant or in the soil.
• Activity resumed in spring, with several generations per year.
• Development favoured by hot and dry weather.
• Dispersal facilitated by ants that protect and transport nymphs.

6. Monitoring

• Visual inspection of buds, bunches and protected areas of the plant.
• Observation of honeydew and sooty mould as indirect indicators.
• Counting of nymphs and females on leaves and bunches.
• Reinforced monitoring in vineyards with a history of infestation.

7. Management measures

• Removal of loose bark and shelters on the grapevine.
• Control of ants to reduce the dispersal of the pest.
• Conservation of natural enemies (ladybirds, lacewings, parasitoids).
• Chemical intervention only when the thresholds are reached and preferring selective products.
• Strict sanitary management in nurseries and propagation material.

Bibliographic references

• EPPO Global Database – Planococcus ficus.
• CABI Invasive Species Compendium – Planococcus ficus.
• Walton, V. M. & Pringle, K. L. (2004). Biology and ecology of Planococcus ficus in vineyards.
• Daane, K. M. et al. (2012). Integrated management of mealybugs in grapevines.