Which statement is true? Mealy bugs create a white waxy material shortly after feeding; Thrips do not have fringe on wings; Whiteflies feed by chewing leaves; Symphylids are not mistaken for springtails.

Which statement is true? Mealy bugs create a white waxy material shortly after feeding; Thrips do not have fringe on wings; Whiteflies feed by chewing leaves; Symphylids are not mistaken for springtails.

• A. Mealy bugs create a white waxy material shortly after feeding.
• B. Thrips do not have fringe on wings.
• C. Whiteflies feed by chewing leaves.
• D. Symphylids are not mistaken for springtails.

Answer: (A)

Mealybugs produce a white, waxy covering around their bodies, which often appears soon after they start feeding. That waxy material is a giveaway in the field and helps distinguish mealybugs from other pests, making this statement the correct one. The wax isn’t just cosmetic—it’s part of their protective secretions and can make infested plant parts look powdery or cottony. Thrips actually have fringed wings, not plain, smooth ones, so the claim about lacking fringe is incorrect. Whiteflies feed by piercing and sucking plant sap, not by chewing leaves, so that statement isn’t true either. Symphylids and springtails can look similar to the untrained eye, so they are often mistaken for one another, which makes the claim that they are not mistaken for springtails inaccurate.

Mealybugs produce a white, waxy covering around their bodies, which often appears soon after they start feeding. That waxy material is a giveaway in the field and helps distinguish mealybugs from other pests, making this statement the correct one. The wax isn’t just cosmetic—it’s part of their protective secretions and can make infested plant parts look powdery or cottony.

Thrips actually have fringed wings, not plain, smooth ones, so the claim about lacking fringe is incorrect. Whiteflies feed by piercing and sucking plant sap, not by chewing leaves, so that statement isn’t true either. Symphylids and springtails can look similar to the untrained eye, so they are often mistaken for one another, which makes the claim that they are not mistaken for springtails inaccurate.