Green lacewing for citrus mealybug
Lacewing larvae eat mealybugs, but in a lab feeding trial on cotton mealybug (Khan et al. 2012) both they and the mealybug destroyer preferred first-instar nymphs, and the larger nymphs were largely a refuge from them. That makes them a tool for a young colony or a cool room — Koppert's lower limit is a 12 °C average, below the mealybug destroyer's 16 °C. Avoid releasing both on the same plant at once: in lab arenas with citrus mealybug, lacewing larvae won about 72% of the fights between the two predators' larvae, though less so when mealybugs were plentiful (Golsteyn et al. 2021).
Before you order
Larvae released onto aphid hot spots and other soft-bodied pests; the adults do not hunt and most fly off. How it works, how to tell it has established and the supplier list are on the full Chrysoperla carnea profile.
How many do I need?
Area and infestation level in; quantity, cost and a weekly schedule out. Open the calculator →
Pesticide sensitivity
Check anything applied in the last month before releasing. Check a product →
Other controls for citrus mealybug
- Cryptolaemus montrouzieriPredatory lady beetle · 5 beetles per infested plant, or 2–10 /m² per release across a bench
- Anagyrus vladimiriParasitoid wasp · 0.1–0.5 per 10 ft² (1 m²) per release, at least three releases 1–2 weeks apart
- Citrus mealybug parasitoidParasitoid wasp — rarely sold now · Wild — rarely sold now; conserve the ones present