Development of an environmentally friendly method to control the mealybug Phenacoccus emansor in iris bulb stores in The Netherlands

Mealybugs form a recurrent problem in storage rooms of flower bulbs in the Netherlands, despite preventative chemical treatment. The causes of this problem, and the biology, ecology and dispersal opportunities of the mealybugs were investigated. Alternative control methods were tested. Combined physical and biological control methods offer good prospects to solve the mealybug problem in an environmentally friendly manner.