Definition of "mealybug" []

• Any of various homopterous insects, especially of the family Pseudococcidae, some of which are destructive to citrus trees and other plants. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But new insects, including one called a mealybug, not known as cotton pests, have emerged, causing significant economic losses,"
• "Now a new insect called mealybug (Phenococcus solenopsis) having its origin in USA is becoming a potential threat to cotton cultivation."
• "In 1979, a Swiss scientist arrived in Ibadan, a Nigerian university town deep in cassava mealybug country."