Voracious wolf in sheep’s clothing

• Highly voracious – Cryptolaemusmontrouzieri larvae and adults feed on mealybug
• Control wide range of mealybug including citrus mealybug Planococcus citri and obscure mealybug Pseudococcus viburni
• Actively searches out pest – adult ladybirds are highly mobile
• Inconspicuously penetrate pest colonies – Cryptolaemus larvae are covered in white waxy threads mimicking mealybug larvae
• Can survive on alternative prey – such as aphids and scale insect - if mealybug numbers low

Why Cryptolaemus-System is so successful

• Fecund - female ladybirds lay up to 400 eggs in pest hotspots
• Voracious appetite - can consume 30-70 prey a day
• Controls every stage - predates on eggs, young and adult mealybugs