mealy bugs, small, white insects of the family Cicadellidae which suck vine sap. Young mealy bugs infect new growth in the spring, typically the undersurface of leaves at the base of the shoot. They also can feed on the fruit, canes, and trunk, and one species, the vine mealy bug Planococcus ficus, can feed on roots. Mealy bugs become mature and reproduce in early summer, and there can be three or more generations a year. Mealy bugs prefer a humid environment, and so are mostly found in a dense vine canopy.
