Anagyrus vladimiri
A 1.5–2 mm orange-brown wasp with black-and-white banded antennae that lays one egg inside a mealybug. The larva eats the mealybug from within, and the host swells into a crusty, yellow-brown mummy. Koppert and Biobest now sell it as Anagyrus vladimiri. UC IPM and several US shops still call it A. pseudococci, the name it was long sold under, although the two are now treated as separate species. It is sold for citrus and vine mealybug and works best released early, alongside the mealybug destroyer. US retail supply is thin.
At a glance
- Mode
- Parasitoid — one egg per host
- Rate
- 0.1–0.5 /m² per release (Koppert)
- Ships as
- 500 mummies in a tube of carrier
- Temp
- Best 65–93 °F (18–34 °C)
- Egg to adult
- About 2 weeks when warm
- Setting
- Greenhouse, interiorscape, citrus, vines
How it works
A female finds mealybugs with her antennae, stings one and lays a single egg inside. Biobest says she can parasitise up to 15 a day. UC says she uses nymphs and adult females, and UF/IFAS adds that adult mealybugs give the best return. The larva develops inside, the mealybug stops feeding and turns crusty and yellow-brown, and the new wasp leaves through a hole it makes at the rear end of the mummy.
Development takes about two weeks in warm weather. Biobest gives 1–2 days for the egg, 4–6 for the larva and 4–6 for the pupa at 82 °F (28 °C). UF/IFAS gives the working range as 57–93 °F (14–34 °C), with development taking 79 days at the cool end. Adults live one to two and a half weeks and feed on honeydew and nectar. A female lays about 25–50 eggs, depending on the supplier, so this is a slow, preventive tool. Start at the first mealybugs, and put the mealybug destroyer on colonies that are already heavy.
Is it established?
The mummy is the evidence. Look for it on the same stems and leaf axils where you count mealybugs.
- WEEK 1Adults emerging from the mummies in the tube; leave it hanging for at least 2 weeks
- WEEKS 2–3First yellow-brown mummies among the mealybugs
- WEEK 3 ONMummies with an exit hole at the rear end, meaning the next generation is out
- AFTERMummies spreading through the colonies; keep releasing until mealybug numbers fall
Release & handling
Mummies arrive in a tube with a sawdust or wood-chip carrier. Release them the day they arrive. If you must hold them, Koppert gives 1–2 days at 50–59 °F (10–15 °C) and Biobest 59–68 °F (15–20 °C), in the dark. Hang the tube horizontally in the crop, out of sun and rain, so the pupae do not fall out.
Release the same day
Koppert and Biobest both say to use the tube immediately.
50–68 °F, dark, 1–2 days
Koppert 10–15 °C for 1–2 days; Biobest 15–20 °C, within the use-by date. Arbico says room temperature.
Hang it horizontally
Use the sticky label or a release box near infested plants, out of direct sun and rain. Leave it at least 2 weeks.
Deal with the ants
Ants tending mealybugs stop the wasps parasitising them. Koppert, Biobest and Arbico all say to control them.
Pesticide sensitivity
In a 2023 laboratory study, acetamiprid, flupyradifurone and the fungicide spiroxamine killed all exposed adults and were rated harmful. Lambda-cyhalothrin and cyantraniliprole were rated slightly harmful. None of them significantly affected the pupae developing inside mummies. UC advises avoiding broad-spectrum insecticides. Check a product →
When to choose something else
The wasp is a preventive, low-rate tool for citrus and vine mealybug. Use something else when:
- Hot spots are already heavy: release the mealybug destroyer on the hot spots. Koppert and Biobest both pair the two
- The mealybug is long-tailed: Koppert, Biobest and BioBee do not list it (Evergreen does, under the old name), and UC names a different parasitoid, Anagyrus fusciventris, for long-tailed mealybug
- The room stays below about 57 °F (14 °C), Biobest's minimum temperature for egg laying
- You cannot get it: Arbico lists it as out of stock and ships it to California only, and Evergreen is also out of stock. The mealybug destroyer is the fallback
Where to buy
Suppliers listed alphabetically, not ranked. helpfulbugs takes no commission and does not sell insects.
- Arbico Organics (Mealybug Parasite)500 mummies; CA only, out of stockUS
- Biobest (Anagyrus-System)500 pupaeGLOBAL
- BioBee (BioAnagyrus)500 mummies (minimum)IL
- Evergreen Growers SupplyAdults; pack not stated, out of stockUS
- Koppert (Citripar)500 mummiesGLOBAL
- LS Systems (Biobest)500 pupaeUK
Anagyrus vladimiri by target
Rate and timing differ by what you are releasing it against. Each page below is the program for one pest.