Fluker, S.S., Huddleston, E.W., & Beardsley Jr., J.W. 1968 Some effects of the big-headed ant on populations of the pink sugarcane mealybug.. Journal of Economic Entomology 61(2): 474-477.

Notes: Saccharicoccus sacchari (Cockerell), the pink sugarcane mealybug, has many natural enemies in Hawaii. This study was conducted to investigate some of the effects that Pheidole megacephala, the most common ant in Hawaiian sugarcane fields, has on population and parasitization of the pink sugarcane mealybug. The presence of the big-headed ant appeared to result in slightly larger populations of the pink sugarcane mealybug. During periods of unfavorable weather conditions, populations of the pink sugarcane mealybug decreased considerably irrespective of the presence or absence of the ants. The attending of the pink sugarcane mealybug by this ant did not seem to be a detrimental factor in the parasitization of the mealybug by Anagyrus saccharicola (Timberlake), nor did the size of the populations of the pink sugarcane mealybug have any effect on parasitism by this parasite.