Economic losses resulting from vineyard mealybug infestations have increased dramatically
during the past decade. In response, there has been a cosmopolitan effort to
improve control strategies and better understand mealybug biology and ecology, as
well as their role as vectors of plant pathogens. Mealybugs are named for the powdery
secretions covering their bodies. The most important vineyard mealybugs belong to
the subfamily Pseudococcinae (Hardy et al. 2008 ) . Although numerous mealybug
species are found in vineyards, this chapter will cover only those that have risen to the
level of primary pest. These are the grape mealybug, Pseudococcus maritimus (Ehrhorn),