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Mealybugs are considered major pests in different crops around the world. In Colombia, there are several species associated with the roots of coffee plants, which can be limiting in plantations less than 24 months old and makes research necessary to design management strategies. Laboratory rearing methods that allow supplying enough insects for studies is required. The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of sprouted creole potato tubers as a host for P. barberi by determining their life cycle and their fertility life table under laboratory conditions (21.0 ± 2.0 ° C, 65% ± 10% RH and 0:24 (L: D). Fifty nymphs were installed on 50 germinated tubers (experimental units) to determine the duration and survival of each biological stage, count the number of nymphs / female and estimate the fertility life table parameters. A descriptive analysis of the duration of each stage was performed, the survival curve was constructed and the parameters of the fertility life table were estimated. The life cycle duration was 82.9 ± 0.6 days and the survival rate was 74%. The duration of the adult phase was 53.1 ± 0.4 days and the average duration of nymphs / female was 63.6 ± 6 days; with a net reproductive rate of R0 = 47.5 (32.1–62.9) and generation time T = 81.9 (77.9–85.6) days. The use of potato tubers as hosts is a good alternative for the establishment of a colony of P. barberi under laboratory conditions for experimental purposes.