Cluster of female mealy bugs Planococcus citri feeding on the stem of a succulent Kalanchoe blossfeldiana. Mealy bugs are scale insects. They are atypical insects in that the females possess no wings & are often legless. The males are winged, but are so small they usually escape notice. The citrus mealy bug is not native to England although it survives in greenhouses, where it feeds on cacti & succulents. Mealy bugs feed on plant sap, which weakens the plant, causing it to wilt and often die. They produce small tufts of cotton, under which they are hidden and protected from certain predators.