Mealybug
Mealybug, a scale insect named for a granular, white powder secreted by the body. It is about one-eighth inch (3 mm) long and has sucking mouth parts. The mealybug destroys such food crops as sugarcane, cassava, grapes, and pineapple by injecting toxins into the stems and leaves, causing the plants to become stunted and deformed. Mealybugs can be controlled by the use of insect predators, such as wasps.
Most mealybugs belong to the genus Pseudococcus. The cassava, or manioc, mealybug is Phenacoccus manihoti. Mealybugs belong to the family Pseudococcidae, order Homoptera.