Common name
Scientific name
Brevennia rehi (Lindinger)What it does
Both adult and nymph mealybugs remove plant sap by sucking. This results to curling of leaves and wilting of plants.
Why and where it occurs
Dry spells and the presence of grassy weeds that harbor this insect pest favor the population buildup of the rice mealybug. Likewise, well-drained soils are also suitable for the insect pest.
The rice mealybug is found in upland and rainfed environments. It is not common in irrigated rice. It occurs in great number during the rainy season.
The nymphs are active until they molt. They first stay under the body of the adult female and later crawl from plant to plant. They are also dispersed by wind. After dispersal, they stay between the leaf sheath and stem to feed and complete their entire larval development. After molting, the female attaches itself to the plant for life and grows in size.
The adult females remain stationary and feed while the winged adult male flies off.
The insect is abundant in April to early July where two generations are completed during this period.
How to identify
Mealybug damage causes:
- Wilting
- Plant stunting
- Yellowish curled leaves
- Damaged spots or chakdhora or soorai disease
It does not have a uniform pattern of damage.
Stunting is also a damage symptom caused by other insect pests like root grubs and rice root aphids. To confirm the cause of damage, check for presence of insect:
- hyaline to yellowish to pinkish eggs
- crawlers or nymphs, unwinged pink female adults and winged pale yellow males removing plant sap
- appearance of wax covering the eggs, nymphs and adults that stick on the stem or leaf
Click on images to enlarge
How to manage
- Encourage biological control agents: small encyrtid wasps, spiders, chloropid fly, drosophilid, and lady beetles
Learn more
View full fact sheet: Mealy bug on IRRI Rice Knowledge Bank