Finally, it appeared in Grenada, Trinidad, and St. Kitts in the 1990's. It is now a very serious pest in the Caribbean where it attacks many hosts of economic importance and disrupts Caribbean agricultural trade and commerce. The hibiscus mealybug is considered a pest of extremely serious quarantine importance and has the potential to expand its geographical distribution to North, Central, and South America. The hibiscus mealybug is also known as the grape mealybug and the grapevine mealybug. The pest forms colonies on the host plant, and if left undisturbed, the colonies will grow into large masses of white waxy coverings on branches, fruiting structures, leaves, and even whole plants, including large trees.
Female bodies are pink in color with a white waxy covering.
They are wingless and appear as ovoid shapes covered by a mass of white mealy wax. Males have a pair of wings and two long waxy tails and are capable of flight. Observers have reported that reproduction may occur by means of parthenogenesis in the absence of the male. In cool climates, the pest overwinters in the soil or on the host plant, either in the egg stage or as an adult. Newly hatched nymphs are called crawlers and are very mobile.