Tiny White Spiky Insect
Hello Bugman,
This afternoon in our backyard I noticed something white on my arm, thinking it was a piece of lint I went to blow it off and then noticed it was crawling.
It was an insect I have not ever seen before. I quickly ran inside and grabbed my camera. I carefully removed him from under my arm hair with the tip of a dulled toothpick; I placed him on our patio furniture and took some images of him, I was using a macro lens with a close up filter and was able to get in close for his size.
It was no more then a quarter inch in length and a eighth of an inch wide, it had soft white spike like spines all over, what was strange is some of them came off when trying to maneuver it into a better position for an image.
Got an idea, if you need more info please feel free to ask.
Thanks
Daryl
Southern California
Hi Daryl,
WE are relatively certain your larva is a Mealybug Destroyer, Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, a beneficial species of Lady Beetle. According to BugGuide, it was: “Imported to the US from Australia in 1891 to control citrus mealybugs in California. Widely used for control of citrus and long-tailed mealybugs, soft scales and related pests. Will not survive cold winters, so it is mostly used in greenhouses or mild-winter areas, or has to be introduced annually.“
Will it damage my garden in any way?
No. It is beneficial as it feeds on Mealybugs.