mealy bug

British

noun

any plant-eating homopterous insect of the genus Pseudococcus and related genera, coated with a powdery waxy secretion: some species are pests of citrus fruits and greenhouse plants: family Pseudococcidae

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Next stop will be Central America, original home of the pineapple, and presumably of the pineapple mealy bug.

From Time Magazine Archive

The expense of spraying put many farmers deep in debt, yet they remain vulnerable to outbreaks such as a mealy bug attack last year that destroyed 70% of the crop.

From Time Magazine Archive

Syringing with hot water has also been employed for vines affected with mildew, mealy bug, etc.

From Disease in Plants by Ward, H. Marshall

The crotons make good window-garden subjects, although they are very liable to the attack of the mealy bug.

From Manual of Gardening (Second Edition) by Bailey, L. H. (Liberty Hyde)

Plants that are badly infested with mealy bug should be syringed with the paraffin mixture once a day, for about a week.

From Cactus Culture for Amateurs Being Descriptions of the Various Cactuses Grown in This Country, With Full and Practical Instructions for Their Successful Cultivation by Watson, W.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023