Scale Control

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How to Get Rid of Scale Insects Naturally Scale insects are among the most difficult pests to control in the garden, greenhouse, landscape, and orchard. They're also one of the most commonly mismanaged. Their protective waxy coating shields the insect beneath from most contact treatments. We provide natural solutions for scale insect control. Specialist predatory beetles and parasitoid wasps naturally regulate scale insect populations. What Are Scale Insects? Scale insects are tiny, sap-feeding insects in the superfamily Coccoidea, order Hemiptera. With 6,000 to 8,000 species worldwide, scale insects are one of the most diverse groups of plant-feeding insects on earth. The two most economically important groups of scale insects are armored scale and soft scale. Understanding the difference and what scale insects look like is essential for choosing the right management approach: Armored Scale (Family Diaspididae) Armored scales are the smaller of the two groups, typically 1 to 3 mm, and the most challenging to control. Their defining characteristic is a hard, flat, protective cover (the 'armor') made of wax. The insect secretes the wax and combines it with shed skins from earlier instars to create the armor. Do NOT produce honeydew: Unlike soft scale, armored scale insects do not excrete honeydew. If you see sticky residue or sooty mold, you are dealing with soft scale, mealybugs, aphids, or whiteflies, not armored scale. Damaging common species include: California red scale (Aonidiella aurantii), San Jose scale (Quadraspidiotus perniciosus), oystershell scale (Lepidosaphes ulmi), euonymus scale (Unaspis euonymi), pine needle scale (Chionaspis pinifoliae), oleander scale (Aspidiotus nerii), and cycad scale Soft Scale (Family Coccidae) Soft scales are generally larger and more rounded or convex than armored scales, growing up to 1/4 inch long. Produce honeydew: Honeydew buildup causes sooty mold on leaves. It also attracts ants that protect scale colonies from natural