Mealybug Destroyer

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Common names: Mealybug Destroyer

Scientific name: Cryptolaemus montrouzieri

Region: This beetle is found in California.

Life cycle: This predator may produce numerous generations each season.  The adults overwinter.

Physical Description: This oval beetle is black and shiny with a reddish head, pronotum, and tip of the elytra, and is about 1/2 inch long.  The oval eggs are yellow and are laid singly in the eggs sacs of mealybugs, while the 1/3 inch larva is yellow and covered with long, white waxy hairs.

Feeding characteristics: This beetle, adult and larvae, feed on all sorts of Mealybugs.

Controls: No controls are necessary.