Miscanthus mealybugs (Miscanthiococcus miscanthi) can damage miscanthus grass, by distorting and stunting its growth. These mealybugs overwinter as females loaded with hundreds of eggs in the crown of the plant. Eggs hatch in spring into small crawlers that move within the growing grass sheath. Some mealybugs leave the infested plants, being blown to new plants. Many mealybug crawlers stay on the plant. Crawlerstake 3-4 weeks to grow to adults. Reports of the life cycle in Maryland indicate that there are three generations per year. This is likely to be the case in this part of the country as well. The photos were taken on August 19, 2003 at a planting in Indianapolis. The figures indicate how you can diagnose this insect before significant distortion has occurred. Some control may be achieved by applying imidacloprid (Merit, or Bayer Advanced), to the soil in the spring on young plants as they begin to break winter dormancy. --Cliff Sadof, Department of Entomology, Purdue University |
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Plant and Pest Digital Library and Digitally Assisted Diagnosis, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.
