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How to identify it
- The adult female is oval, reddish-purple and 2.4 to 4 mm long, coated in mealy wax that is white at first and may turn pale yellow with age.[1][3]
- Egg-laying females produce a large, rounded egg sac of loose, sticky white wax threads under the body that can hide the female; it holds tiny red to violet eggs.[1][3]
- Nymphs are very small and reddish-purple, with legs and antennae visible under magnification, and are easily mistaken for scale nymphs.[1]
- Adult males are 1.3 to 2.5 mm long and brownish-purple, with well-developed front wings.[1]
Look-alikes
| Look-alike | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Other mealybugs and wax scales | Lebbeck mealybug has been mistaken for other wax-producing mealybugs and scales in groves. Its feeding sites and damage are distinct: it prefers new growth and fruit and leaves hardened, discolored lumps on the fruit.[1] |
Where it lives
It is of Asian origin and occurs widely in southern Asia, Africa and tropical Australia, and has been introduced to a few countries in the Americas. In the United States it is recorded from Florida, where it has been present since 2009 and moved into citrus groves in 2019.[6][3][2]
Biology and life cycle
The female goes through three nymphal stages, moving slowly to new feeding sites between them. She lays about 600 eggs in an egg sac and dies shortly after laying them all.[1]
It can reproduce with or without mating, but in laboratory tests females that mated laid more eggs.[3][4]
It has three generations a year in South African citrus, and all stages can survive the winter.[6]
Crawlers spread by walking to neighboring plants or are carried by wind or on clothing, tools, equipment and animals.[6][5]
It feeds on plants in 115 genera. All citrus grown commercially in Florida except sour orange can host it, as can orange jasmine (Murraya), hibiscus, pomegranate and mango.[6][4][1]
Damage and signs
- It feeds on new growth, new branches and fruit. Feeding on fruit causes hard lumps and discoloration, leaves become twisted, and fruit drop is the biggest source of crop loss.[1]
- Because it feeds in hidden spots, it is often missed until sooty mold builds up and damage is visible. Severe infestations cause twig dieback and can kill young trees.[2]
- On citrus it also curls and stunts the shoot tips, makes flowers abort and turns leaves yellow.[3]
Health risk
The sources treat it only as a plant pest; none mentions bites or any risk to people or pets.[1][3][6]
Control
Prevention
Researchers suggest discouraging orange jasmine and other citrus relatives, which are good hosts, around citrus groves.[4]
Sanitation
Crawlers and eggs ride on people and tools. Isopropyl alcohol sprays disable most crawlers but not eggs inside the egg sacs; in tests, hot water or steam for at least 10 minutes at 49 C (120 F) or 5 minutes at 54.5 C (130 F) killed adults and eggs.[5]
Biological control
Several predatory insects eat Lebbeck mealybug, and with careful spray planning they can be a key part of controlling it.[2]
Pesticides
In citrus, early-season control is key: systemic products that can be applied during bloom help prevent buildup, while contact products kill crawlers and young nymphs but do little against egg-laying adults, so time them to crawler peaks found by scouting. UF/IFAS calls these findings preliminary.[2]
Common questions
- Is Lebbeck mealybug the same as hibiscus mealybug?
- Yes. Nipaecoccus viridis goes by Lebbeck mealybug, hibiscus mealybug and spherical mealybug.[2][3]
- Can Lebbeck mealybug live on my hibiscus or orange jasmine?
- Yes. Hibiscus and orange jasmine (Murraya paniculata) were both suitable hosts in laboratory tests.[4]
- Why are my citrus fruits lumpy and dropping?
- Lebbeck mealybug feeding on fruit causes hardened lumps and discoloration, and fruit drop is the main way it reduces yield. Check the fruit and new shoots for purplish mealybugs in white egg sacs.[1]
Sources
- University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS), “Citrus Pest Quick Guide: Lebbeck Mealybug (Nipaecoccus viridis) (ENY-1005, 2020).” journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/115031 (accessed 2026-11-09)
- University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS), “2026-2029 Florida Citrus Production Guide: Soft-Bodied Insects Attacking Foliage and Fruit (CG004).” journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/133504 (accessed 2026-11-09)
- ScaleNet (scale insect database begun at the USDA ARS Systematic Entomology Laboratory), “ScaleNet catalogue: Nipaecoccus viridis (Newstead).” scalenet.info/catalogue/Nipaecoccus%20viridis/ (accessed 2026-11-09)
- Entomological Society of America (Journal of Economic Entomology), “Laboratory evaluation of the life history of hibiscus mealybug, Nipaecoccus viridis (Olabiyi et al. 2023, Journal of Economic Entomology 116: 891-898; PubMed abstract).” doi.org/10.1093/jee/toad055 (accessed 2026-11-09)
- Entomological Society of America (Journal of Economic Entomology), “Sanitizing Equipment and Personnel to Prevent the Spread of Hibiscus Mealybug (Middleton and Diepenbrock 2022, Journal of Economic Entomology 115: 1592-1600; PubMed abstract).” doi.org/10.1093/jee/toac111 (accessed 2026-11-09)
- European Food Safety Authority (EFSA Journal), “Pest categorisation of Nipaecoccus viridis (EFSA Panel on Plant Health 2023, EFSA Journal 21: e07770; PubMed abstract).” doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7770 (accessed 2026-11-09)
- iNaturalist, “Nipaecoccus viridis taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/678158 (accessed 2026-11-09)