Scale Treatment

Scale are insects that suck sap from plants and excrete a sticky "honeydew" substance that accumulates on leaves and twigs. (Often, honeydew is the first sign noticed by gardeners.) Ants, bees, and flies are attracted to the honeydew. Sooty mold, a fungus, grows on the honeydew. Scale do not look like typical insects and are difficult to recognize. Scale can cause branch dieback and eventual death to the plant if not controlled.

Scale are sedentary, inserting their mouth into the plant and continue feeding for most of their life. They form protective shells, completely covering themselves, making them hard to see and control. This shell protects them from insecticides. Just after hatching, the young insect crawls out from the protective shell to find a place to feed. At this stage of development, the "crawler" phase, scale do not have shells and are vulnerable to insecticides. Correct identification, therefore, and correct timing of pesticide application is critical to controlling these insects. Any broad spectrum insecticide will work, if timed and applied properly.

Control

Horticultural Oil (Can be applied at anytime when temperatures are above 40 and below 85 degrees F) Crawler Treatment: Insecticidal Soap, Malathion, Ortho Systemic Insect Killer, Sevin, Bayer Advanced Garden Tree & Shrub Insect Control. ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS WHEN USING PESTICIDES.

PEST	TREATMENT DATES FOR CRAWLERS
Azalea Bark Scale	June 10 & 20
Calico Scale	June 10 & 20
Cottony Camellia Scale	June 10 & 20
Cottony Maple Scale	June 15 & 25
Cottony Maple Leaf Scale	June 15 & 30
Euonymus Scale	May 10 & 20, Aug 5 & 15
European Elm Scale	May 15 & 25
European Fruit Lecanium Scale	June 10 & 15
Fiorinia Hemlock Scale	May 10 & 20, June 5 & 10
Fletcher Scale	June 10 & 15
Golden Oak Scale	June 10 & 20
Juniper Scale	April 15 & 25, June 5 & 15
Lecanium Scale	June 10 & 20
Magnolia Scale	Sept. 15 & 25
Obscure Scale	July 15 & 25, Aug. 5 & 15
Oyster Shell Scale	May 10 & 20, July 15 & 25
Pine Needle Scale	May 15 & 25, July 10 & 20
Pine Tortoise Scale	June 15 & 25
San Jose Scale	June 5 & 15, July 10 & 15
Tea Scale	June 10 & 20, Aug 10 & 20
Tuliptree Scale	Sept 15 & 25
White Peach Scale	May 1 & 10, July 10 & 20