Abstract: In order to evaluate the potential damage of Phenacoccus solenopsis to tobacco and to screen out effective insecticides, the fitness of P. solenopsis on two tobacco varieties was studied and the virulence of different insecticides to the insect was determined. The performance of mealybugs on seedlings of two tobacco varieties were studied under laboratory conditions. Meanwhile, the toxicity of 10 insecticides to P. solenopsis were determined by leaf-dipping method. The results showed that P. solenopsis could complete the life cycle on the two tested tobacco varieties. Compared with the cigar tobacco H382, P. solenopsis developed faster and had a higher longevity and fecundity on the flue-cured tobacco NC89. P. solenopsis preferred to select NC89, and the population establishment rate and instantaneous increase rate (r_i) were higher than that of H382. Laboratory toxicity bioassay showed that lambda-cyhalothrin had the highest toxicity to the third instar larvae and female adults, with the LC₅₀ of 1.331 mg/L and 2.826 mg/L, respectively. Flupyradifurone, nitenpyram, and sulfoxaflor also had a higher toxicity to the mealybug. Flonicamid had the lowest toxicity to P. solenopsis. The two tested tobacco varieties were suitable host plants for P. solenopsis, and the fitness of NC89 to P. solenopsis was higher than that of H382. Insecticides such as lambda-cyhalothrin, sulfoxaflor, flupyradifurone, and nitenpyram, which are highly virulent to P. solenopsis, can be used as candidate chemicals for the control of this pest.