Our Top CRYPTOforce™ for Mealybug Control
CRYPTOforce™ for Mealybug Control
Adult Cryptolaemus montrouzieri — the lady-beetle mealybug destroyer.
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What it targets
CRYPTOforce™ is the trade name for Cryptolaemus montrouzieri — the lady beetle most growers know as the mealybug destroyer. Adults and larvae both feed on mealybugs, with a clear appetite for citrus mealybug (Planococcus citri), Comstock mealybug (Pseudococcus comstocki), obscure mealybug (Pseudococcus obscurus), solenopsis mealybug (Phenacoccus solenopsis), Mexican mealybug (Phenacoccus gossypii), and the crawling and immature stages of egg-sac–producing scale insects. They’ll also eat long-tailed mealybug (Pseudococcus longispinus), but only as immatures — long-tailed gives live birth instead of laying eggs in cottony masses, so females have nowhere to deposit their own eggs and the population doesn’t establish on that host alone.
Shipped as pre-fed, pre-mated, insectary-reared adults, the beetles are ready to release straight into a hot spot. On long-tailed–only outbreaks, pair them with green lacewing (Chrysoperla spp.) larvae or eggs to cover what Cryptolaemus can’t reproduce on. The two predators handle the mealybug-and-scale complex together.
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How it works
Adult females lay up to 400 eggs over their lifetime — one to a few at a time, tucked into the cottony egg masses that mealybugs build under leaves and along stems. The young larvae hatch white and shaggy, covered in waxy filaments, looking enough like mealybugs that scouts new to the predator pull them off plants by mistake. That’s the mealybug look-alike growers learn to read: faster moving than the prey, with visible legs and a more elongated body, and at maturity more than twice the size of an adult female mealybug.
Predation is steady across stages. Adults and older larvae feed harder than the early instars, working through 30 to 70 prey per day. Each larva, over its three to four weeks of feeding through four instars, takes more than 250 mealybug nymphs or roughly 1,000 mealybug eggs before it pupates. Development and reproduction run fastest at 72–77°F with relative humidity around 70–80%. Below 68°F, with short day lengths, the reproductive rate drops sharply, so the mealybug destroyer is rarely a winter answer outside heated, lighted greenhouses.
Check the sex ratio on arrival
Only the egg-laying females contribute to biological control, and production colonies occasionally ship male-heavy. Flip a few beetles before release and look at the forelegs: females are black to dark brown, males are orange. Healthy lots run close to 50/50. If yours skew male, flag it with the supplier and request replacement.
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Crops, environments, and climate
Crops it supports
Fruit crops
Ornamental crops
Vegetable crops
Citrus
Hemp / Cannabis
Environments
Greenhouses
Indoor facilities
Interiorscapes
Orchards
Gardens
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Storage
Don’t hold adults longer than 18 hours. Keep the bottle at a moderately humid 50–55°F until release — that range holds metabolism back without chilling the beetles past usable.
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Instructions of use
Bottle releases
Open the container in the crop area, not in the storage room. Mist the foliage just before treatment, then gently tap the beetles directly onto leaves — or, if the infestation is widespread, distribute them evenly through the canopy. Let them warm up first; they’ll be sluggish out of the cooler. Position releases next to or on the cottony egg masses where you can see them. Use the cap to control dispersal: tip the bottle, let a handful out, move on, repeat. Concentrate the bulk at the heaviest hot spots, and reserve some for a sweep through milder pressure. Skip releases in the heat of the day — early morning or evening keeps the beetles in the canopy instead of taking flight.
Attracting beetles to hot spots
Place white 3×5 index cards near mealybug colonies. The beetles are visually drawn to the color of waxy egg sacs and will collect on the cards. For long-tailed mealybug, which gives live birth and produces no cottony egg mass, set pea-sized tufts of synthetic quilt batting near the colonies; this can encourage females to lay there. Avoid cotton balls — they may carry pesticide residues from the craft-store shelf. Flowering, pollen-producing plants and a honeydew substitute around the release site can stretch how long adults stay.
Don’t sabotage the release
Skip white and light-colored clothing on release day — the beetles read it as a giant egg mass and will land on you instead of the crop. If you run yellow or blue sticky cards, pull them or restrict them to two or three days a week during peak release windows, or you’ll catch the predator you just released. Ants, if you have them, defend mealybugs from predators to protect the honeydew supply; control ants with barriers or boric-acid baits before the beetles arrive.
06
Monitoring & advisories
Monitor for
- Adult beetles in the canopy, especially around cottony egg masses.
- Shaggy white larvae on infested leaves — easy to mistake for the prey the first time. Look for movement and visible legs.
- “Exploded” mealybug egg masses where larvae have fed through.
- Falling mealybug counts on your scouting routes 7–14 days after release.
- Cottony egg masses themselves — the signature that separates mealybugs from most scale insects on the same plant.
- Sex ratio on arrival: dark-brown to black forelegs = female, orange forelegs = male. A male-heavy lot will under-deliver on long-term control.
Advisories
- Ants on the plant defend mealybugs from predators. Control ants before release, or the population won’t dent the prey.
- Below 68°F or with short day lengths, reproduction slows. Outdoor winter releases rarely take outside heated, lighted houses.
- Long-tailed mealybug doesn’t produce cottony egg masses, so Cryptolaemus eats the immatures but can’t establish on that prey alone — pair with green lacewing.
- Don’t wear white or light clothing during release. The beetles aim for it.
- Sticky cards near release points will catch the predator you just released. Pull or limit them while releases are active.
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Release rates — for conventional crops
| Classification | Rate | Interval |
|---|---|---|
| Light infestation preventive | 2–4 beetles per 10 sq. ft. | Repeat as needed |
| Heavy infestation active | 10–12 beetles per 10 sq. ft. | Repeat as needed |
| Orchards active | 1,000–2,000 per acre | Repeat as needed |
| California citrus, spring preventive | 500 per acre (UC IPM) | Spring, where mealybugs have been a problem |
| Scout 7–14 days after release; if mealybug counts haven’t turned, repeat at the same rate before the next generation builds. | ||
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Cannabis Alert
Conventional release rates are usually not sufficient for cannabis growers. We recommend you double the rate or contact us for personalized help.
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Life cycle
The mealybug destroyer life cycle runs egg → larva → pupa → adult, with a full generation taking roughly four to six weeks under warm conditions. About four generations occur per year in California.
1
Egg
2
Larva
3
Pupa
4
Adult
Disclosures
Live-product policy. Beneficial Insectary works to guarantee the live delivery of fresh organisms. Replacements or credits are offered for compromised shipments when customers report issues or concerns within 24 hours — before any organisms suspected of viability issues are released. Don’t discard the product; you may be asked to return the shipment for analysis.
Establishment of biocontrol agents. Many variables — pesticide applications, watering practices, storage methods, and other cultural, physical, or mechanical controls — can shift biocontrol-agent and pest populations. Some beneficials need a steady pest presence to build their numbers; others require pollen or nectar as alternate food; others have specific photoperiod requirements. Long- or short-term establishment after release can’t be guaranteed, and refunds, discounts, or credits are not offered on products that have already been released.