mealybug

noun

mealy·​bug ˈmē-lē-ˌbəg How to pronounce mealybug (audio)
: any of a family (Pseudococcidae) of scale insects that have a white cottony or waxy covering and are destructive pests especially of fruit trees

Examples of mealybug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Dogs can also be trained to detect the pheromone of the female mealybug, which damages the vineyard. Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 3 Aug. 2023 The larvae also consume other soft-bodied prey, including mealybugs, scales, chilli thrips, thrips, leafhoppers, and spider mites and their eggs. Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 July 2023 Though your plant may be sheltered from pests indoors, orchids can be infested by scale (insects appear to be circular bumps on stems), mites (tiny spider-like pests that cause stippling on leaves), or mealybugs (white, fluffy insects). Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 16 June 2023 This treatment should also help avoid mealybugs, mites, thrips, and whiteflies. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 15 June 2023 Neem oil is labeled for soft-bodied pests such as aphids, beetle larvae, caterpillars, leafhoppers, mealybugs, thrips, spider mites, and whiteflies. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 May 2023 The most common pest is mealybugs that look like white masses of cotton attached to the leaves. Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 10 May 2023 Some insect activity and sooty mold can be tolerated by the plants, plus natural controls may help eliminate the mealybugs. Tom MacCubbin, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Apr. 2023 But thrips, mealybugs and scale are harder. Karen Hugg, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mealybug.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mealybug was in 1824

Dictionary Entries Near mealybug

Cite this Entry

“Mealybug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mealybug. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mealybug

noun
mealy·​bug ˈmē-lē-ˌbəg How to pronounce mealybug (audio)
: any of numerous scale insects that have a white cottony or waxy covering and are destructive pests especially of fruit trees

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