Pandey, R.R., & Johnson, M.W. 2006 Weeds adjacent to Hawaiian pineapple plantings harboring pink pineapple mealybugs.. Environmental Entomology 35(1): 68-74.

Notes: Surveys were conducted to identify the weeds bordering Hawaiian pineapple plantings that could serve as hosts for the pink pineapple mealybug, Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell). Collected mealybugs were held to determine parasitization by the encyrtid Anagyrus ananatis Gahan. Greater than 15 species of weeds were found around pineapple plantings in both disturbed (e.g., mowed, herbicide treated, manual weed removal) and undisturbed areas. Weed diversity was low in the undisturbed areas with guinea grass, Panicum maximum, being the dominant species and free of pink pineapple mealybug. Weed species composition was more diverse in the disturbed areas adjacent to plantings, with routinely mowed areas being more diverse. Although pink pineapple mealybug is a polyphagous mealybug, it was only found in moderate densities on rhodesgrass, Chloris gayana, and wire grass, Eleusine indica, both of which were found in mowed and unmowed weedy areas with the former species being more common. All phenological stages of rhodesgrass were infested with pink pineapple mealybugs, but only mature wire grass plants were infested. None of the pink pineapple mealybugs collected from the weeds produced parasitoids, which suggests that the most common weeds found during these studies did not serve as reservoirs for A. ananatis. Because some common weed species harbored Dysmicoccus mealybugs, weed management could play a significant role in reducing pink pineapple mealybug movement into pineapple plantings.