Mealy bugs coming in on cut flowers

CBP Agriculture Specialist Finds Mealy Bugs in New Type of Flower

(Wednesday, December 26, 2007)

Los Angeles — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialist recently discovered a tiny immigrant insect, embedded in a fresh cut flower shipment. "This is the first time in the Nation, this insect has been seen in this type of flower," stated a U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist.

On Dec. 7, while inspecting Brunia cut flowers imported from South Africa, a CBP agriculture specialist at Los Angeles International Airport observed that the flowers were infested by a destructive plant pest commonly known as Mealy bugs. A sample was collected and sent to USDA entomologists for further identification and analysis.

Officials from the USDA concluded that this particular insect is not native to this country and is the first time it has been identified in this plant life. If these insects enter the United States and become established it could cause significant damage to our agricultural industry.

I never even thought about bringing mealybugs in on my cut flowers!

Is that some new species of mealy bugs? We certainly have
something we call mealy bugs... I was just washing them off the
leaves of my amaryllis this afternoon. (I guess its like common
names for plants - no telling what plant you are really talking
about.)

probably newto the US.

You mean probably not the same mealybug that already is in the US?

It's not really clear from the report--if you read most of it carefully, it sounds like it's just the first time that the mealy bug was found on this type of plant material. But then in the last sentence they make it sound like it's some new species that's going to take over the country. So I almost wonder if the reporter who wrote the story was a little confused, maybe they misunderstood a little about it just being the first time this pest was found in this sort of shipment, and took it to it being an entirely new sort of pest. Without more info it's impossible to say what the truth is!

Whether its new species or not, mealybugs are still a plant pest that can infect other plants. I check my store bought live plants for bugs before bringing them into the house but never gave cut flowers a thought.

You're right, either way it's not something you want in your house and I'm definitely going to start checking any cut flowers I bring home from now on! But it's a lot scarier if it's a new species of mealy bug rather than the same one(s) we already have here.

Yeah - they are awful! I got my original infestation from a citrus tree
I bought from a local nursery. I've been battling them ever since (in my
greenhouse). I finally had to resort to non-organic solutions.