They cause widespread damage, not only reducing yield but also affecting the quality of finished coffee.
Characteristics of mealybugs
Mealybugs are oval, about 3-5 mm long; their bodies are covered with a white powdery layer, with many filaments around the margins.
Mealybugs lay eggs in clusters of about 200 – 250 eggs; one female can lay 600 – 800 eggs. After 6 – 10 days, the eggs hatch into pale-yellow, smooth young mealybugs not yet covered with white powder. Adult mealybugs are light pink but covered on the outside with a white wax layer. Their life cycle is 26 – 40 days. About 2 – 3 days after hatching, they quickly find shelter and start feeding. They multiply and develop especially strongly in summer; in hot weather the egg hatch rate is very high.
Mealybugs damaging coffee berries usually appear from coffee flowering until the end of the harvest. Damage is heavy in the dry-season months and early rainy season, then decreases considerably in the middle of the rainy season. Mealybugs usually live in colonies clinging to each other and move very slowly or hardly at all, so they live in symbiosis with black ants, which spread and protect them.
Damage symptoms
Mealybugs on young shoots and berry clusters: mealybugs lay eggs in leaf axils, buds or young berry clusters. After hatching, they find a fixed place to settle, such as young shoots, branches and leaves, flower clusters, berry clusters and roots, and begin sucking sap, causing young shoots, branches and leaves to wither, flowers and young berries to drop, and branches to die. Mealybugs encourage sooty mould on leaves, berries and branches, reducing photosynthesis and affecting the orchard's yield.
Mealybugs on coffee roots: mealybugs often live in the soil, clinging around the roots and sucking sap for nutrients. As they develop, they secrete a waterproof wax layer around the roots, so the plant cannot take up water and nutrients, and gradually yellows, wilts and declines.
Prevention and control measures:
Plant at a reasonable density; avoid dense planting so the farm is well ventilated.
During flowering and berry development, inspect the farm carefully; when signs of mealybug attack appear, spray immediately to protect the farm and its yield.
If there are ants in the farm, control them to prevent ants carrying mealybugs from the base up the plant and from plant to plant. Also clear weeds, debris and rotting leaves around the base, as these shelter ants.
Prune old, weak, diseased and unnecessary tiny branches and branches growing close to the ground to keep the farm ventilated; cut off heavily damaged branches and destroy them to limit mealybug development and spread.
Protect beneficial natural enemies such as spiders, wasps and ladybirds.
Inspect the farm regularly to detect mealybugs and spray in time. Combine base drenching and canopy spraying for more effective control. Growers can use Pilaravia 155SC, one 100ml bottle per 120-litre drum of water, spraying evenly to wet the foliage in the early morning or cool afternoon. The product has stomach, contact and two-way systemic action combined with new technology and a dedicated additive, helping growers control mealybugs faster with a longer-lasting effect, saving costs and care time.
Advisory contact: +84 86 210 5050 (Free)
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