Types of scale insects: Californian, mulberry, comma-shaped and others. Basic information and their photos

Fighting methods

Methods of control It is very difficult to exterminate scale insects, since adult individuals are protected by a durable chitinous shell, and most toxic chemicals do not affect them.
As a result, they can only be removed by hand from tree bark. Scale insects on plums, cherries and other fruit trees are scraped from the bark using a metal brush or a special scraper, and adult females must be destroyed along with the laid eggs. In case of severe irreversible damage, dead branches are pruned and burned.

Scatterings of scale insects found on seedlings are removed mechanically, and the branches are additionally washed with a solution of laundry soap. They fight the parasite in the same way on decorative indoor plants.

But young larvae, especially during their mobile period, are susceptible to the action of pesticides.

Before you start fighting scale insects on cherries and other fruits, you must consider the following rules:

• Water the surrounding plantings well;
• It is recommended to first try non-toxic control methods;
• spraying with a soap solution can be done no more often than once every 7 days, it is better to use mild liquid soap;
• To increase effectiveness, the drugs should be used alternately.

After scraping, the tree must be treated with insecticides. Experts recommend the following drugs:

• Actellik is an emulsion for controlling garden pests; it is not addictive, but is dangerous for animals and people because it has a pungent odor;
• Aktara is a highly effective product, dangerous for bees, not used in residential areas;
• Bitoxibacillin is a preparation with live bacteria, safe for people and animals, there is no odor, but the treatment must be done several times. Valid only at air temperatures above +18˚С;
• Preparation 30 is an environmentally friendly product, used in the spring before flowers appear on the trees.

When using all of the above products, be sure to wear protective clothing, a respirator and gloves to avoid poisoning.

Means and methods of combating Californian scale insects on trees

How to fight scale insects in your garden using effective drugs?

When these insects appear in the garden during the mass hatching of vagrants (mid-June and mid-August), spray the infested trees with one of the insecticides. Good means for combating scale insects are “Aliot”, “Kinmiks”, “Iskra-M”, “Fufanon”, “Inta-VIR”. For greater reliability, the treatment can be repeated at intervals of 5-6 days (for example, June 15 and 20), alternating the pesticides used.

The number of scale insects is also reduced by spring spraying of fruit trees against leaf rollers and weevils (the last ten days of April); at this time the scale insects molt, but the preparations are the same.

Solutions of pesticides should hit the plants in the form of tiny splashes - sprayed.

They must be applied evenly not only to the top, but also to the underside of the sheet.

To achieve high spraying efficiency, you need to ensure that the entire tree and especially the cracks in its bark are well moistened with the solution.

Another effective method of combating scale insects on trees:

Agrotechnical measures aimed at thinning the crowns of infected trees and burning cut branches. Timely fertilization and watering, cleaning dead bark on trunks and skeletal branches, removing dying trees and bushes from the garden, destroying root growth.

Scale insects on ficus: signs of infection

Scale insects can get onto ficus in different ways. Given the microscopic size of the insect, it can simply be carried by the wind through an open window. There are several other known ways of spreading the pest:

• bringing along with a bouquet of flowers from the store;
• purchasing an already infected plant;
• transfer from other indoor flowers;
• infection in the garden or on the veranda (balcony), where the ficus is transferred in the summer.

Epidemics of scale insects in flower shops are not uncommon, as sellers try to quickly sell perishable goods rather than waste time on pest control. Therefore, when buying bouquets or plants in pots, you should know what the scale insect and the plants affected by it look like.

Types of scale insects and their differences

According to the scientific classification, scale insects belong to hemiptera. The family includes more than 2,000 species, united by a characteristic feature - the body of an adult insect is covered with a dense shield formed from larval skins and waxy secretions.

In most species, females lay eggs; the Californian scale insect is viviparous. Larvae hatched from eggs are actively moving at first. Having found a convenient place, they attach themselves to the plant and remain motionless. The larvae grow quickly and periodically molt, shedding their old cover. It dries and forms a kind of umbrella over the insect, protecting the scale insect itself and the eggs that it lays. Brown, brown or white, the shield has a round or oblong shape.

Females lack eyes, wings, and legs, but have a well-developed piercing-sucking mouthparts. Body length – 1.5–2 mm. After the female scale insect stops moving, it continuously engages only in feeding and laying eggs. Males are more like ordinary insects and are able to move. They also have a small shield on the back.

The structure of scale insects is similar to false scale insects. The scutellum of the latter is larger, up to 7 mm in diameter, dome-shaped, has no waxy secretion and consists only of skin that has died off during molting.

Despite the fact that the scale insect family is extensive, only a few species are common in gardens and greenhouses. Among them:

• purple,
• comma-shaped
• yellow and red pear;
• mulberry,
• Rosenaya

As can be seen from their names, each type of pest has chosen a particular type of plant - fruit trees, berry bushes or garden flowers.

Signs of scale insect infestation

Scale insects on ficus foxes photo
The first sign that a scale insect has settled on a ficus is the appearance of a sticky coating on the leaves. This is the so-called honeydew - secretions of sucking insects. Plant sap contains a large amount of sugar, which is why various pests love it. Insects cannot digest some of the juice and secrete it onto the surface of the leaves. Subsequently, sooty fungus quickly develops on the sweet coating, causing great damage to the plantings.

The second sign by which scale infestation is unmistakably determined is the appearance of a brown, brown or white-gray growth on the trunk and leaves. Upon careful examination, it is clear that it consists of individual plaques. These are the shields of young or adult females, under which the pests themselves are hidden.

The third sign is the curvature of the leaf plate and the appearance of tubercles on its surface. In this way, the plant tries to grow new tissue at the site of the lesion.

In advanced cases, ficus leaves turn yellow and die, and then without treatment the plant dies.

Characteristics of an insect

The main characteristic of this parasite is that if the fight is not started in time, the insect closes itself with a shield and no drugs can destroy it until the next hatching of the larvae. The main fight comes down to the destruction of young growth, and the affected branches with scale insects will need to be cut out and burned outside the area. Find out how to fight caterpillars on currants here.

Description of appearance

Here is a brief description of scale insects depending on gender and stage of development:

The female California scale insect can be easily identified by a yellow spot with a white border in the middle of the shield.

Male

Several forms of Californian scale insect larvae are classified:

• “nymphs” are a transitional form; during this period, the formation of scutes begins, and their body begins to acquire an oval shape. The color changes and becomes dark black;
• “vagrants” are recently hatched individuals with an oblong body shape, colored gray. The body size is up to 0.3 mm, so the gardener will definitely need a magnifying glass to identify and detect hatched larvae. The main task at this stage for parasites is constant feeding, so their mouth is well developed and may even be longer than the body of the larva.

Life cycle

The scale insect overwinters in the form of eggs, which the female covers with her body. In the first warm days of spring, the hatched “Vagabonds” begin to actively feed and develop. Adult, overwintered individuals remain at the wintering site, they firmly adhere to the shoots or trunks and suck the sap of the plant. Males begin to care for their offspring by mid-May. Their number is small, only 10% of the total mass of the flock. Find out about the best varieties of tomatoes for open ground at this link.

Females, during the warm period, are able to lay up to 100 eggs, from which voracious larvae emerge.

These small fry quickly spread across a tree or bush or move onto neighboring plants and suck out plant juices. Beginning to transform into nymphs, the larvae become covered with chitinous scutes and become inaccessible to any drug.

Males, preoccupied with procreation, drop their protection during mating and die after fulfilling their paternal duty. Already in August, up to 90% of the females grow from the larvae, lay eggs underneath them and become covered with protection.

Chemicals

Insecticides can completely destroy scale insects. But they are used in advanced cases. Do not use chemicals during the fruiting period. Pesticides will get into ripe fruits, which will become unsuitable for food.

Important! A one-time treatment with insecticides is not enough. 3-4 sprayings are carried out with a break of one week.

“Aktara”, “Confidor Extra”, “Aktellik” are proven chemicals against insect pests. Scale insects are capable of developing immunity to drugs, so it is recommended to change them periodically.

Features of wrestling

To protect currants from spider mites, it is important to take into account the growing season of the plant, the time of mass reproduction of the pest and the choice of control agents

Before the currant blossoms

If you do not get rid of spider mites before the ovary appears, you may not get a currant harvest at all, and weakened plants become susceptible to fungal diseases. Therefore, pest control should begin when females emerge from hibernation in early spring. To do this, the shrub at the stage of budding is treated with acaricidal preparations that are not dangerous for fish, birds, predatory insects and bees. Currant protection against mites lasts for 3 weeks.

Important! Avoid using insecticides during the flowering period of currants, which reduce populations of beneficial insects and can also get into the berries and harm humans. Try to maintain bush hygiene by washing away dust - mites love dry and dusty places

Try to maintain the hygiene of the bush by washing off the dust - mites love dry and dusty places.

During fruiting of currants

During the fruiting period, it is advisable to combat the spider pest only with the help of predatory mites of phytoseiulus and amblyseius, or use biological products. For minor lesions, it is possible to mechanically remove pests from the leaves using a toothbrush dipped in liquid soap.

Currants should not be sprayed during fruit ripening; the last treatment with chemicals should be carried out 3-4 weeks before harvest. When spraying bushes, it is necessary to treat the underside of the leaves, the trunk, as well as the trunk circle

Nuances of life

In the photo, the California scale insect looks like growths on the bark. Single individuals are extremely rare; they mainly live in colonies in which insects of different ages. They spend the winter in the first instar larval stage under the bark of trees.

As the plants awaken, scale insects also awaken. The larvae begin to feed intensively and increase in size. The scutum becomes small and the first molt occurs, after which sexual characteristics appear. The population is dominated by females, the number of males ranges from 10 to 15%. Further development occurs according to two scenarios:

• One part of the larvae enters diapause. The shell of such individuals is black and they go into hibernation until next year.
• Other young individuals continue their development. After the completion of the molt, the males fly out from under the scutes and perform their direct duties - they fertilize the females. They do not live long, since they lack an oral organ and exist due to the accumulated nutrients during the larval stage. They die off 3-4 days after the start of summer. Some males have a lifespan of several hours. Mating usually occurs at the beginning of the second ten days of May.

California scale insects are viviparous species. Fertilized females spend 2 months giving birth to strays. Such a long period of reproduction of offspring greatly complicates the fight against the pest. Vagrants are very active and carefully choose their habitat. Without food, the younger generation can live 7 days. They can crawl around a tree for several days until they find a comfortable environment for themselves: a well-lit place near the top of the tree, on the trunk, or skeletal branches.

Having decided on its habitat, the tramp pierces the bark with the help of sharp bristles of the oral apparatus. Having attached itself to the plant, it secretes wax-like threads that intertwine and form a white shield covering the top of the larva. After a week it turns gray. With the onset of this moment, the stray molts and begins a new phase of its development.

California scale insect

Diaspidiotus perniciosus, Aspidiotus California, California scale, San José scale, Chinese scale, Pernicious scale, Aspidiotus perniciosus, Comstockaspis perniciosus, Aonidiella perniciosus, Comstockiella perniciosus

The California scale insect is a dangerous quarantine pest. Damages about 150 species of various plants. Of the fruit trees, it most often harms apple, pear, plum, cherry and apricot. Damages trunks, leaves, fruits, branches. The species is viviparous, bisexual, with pronounced sexual dimorphism. Capable of parthenogenesis. Overwinters in the larval state.

The Californian scale insect, like all representatives of the suborder Coccidae, is characterized by pronounced sexual dimorphism.[7]

Female . Females do not have legs, wings or antennae. The head and chest are fused into the cephalothorax. The shape of the shield is round. The color of the scutellum is brownish or dark gray. Size – up to 2 mm in diameter. The scutes are colored in accordance with the color of the bark of the food plant. They vary in shape and size not only on different crops, but also on varieties of the same crop, as well as on plants of the same species, but of different ages.[2] In the center of the shield there are two yellowish-brown skins, surrounded by a whitish, narrow border.[3] The female's body shape is round and flat. Body color is lemon yellow.[2] Body length – up to 1.3 mm. Antennae, legs and eyes are missing.[3]

Male . The shape of the scutellum is elongated-oval, smaller in size than the scutum of the female. Shield length – up to 1 mm, width – 0.6 mm. The color of the shield is from light gray to gray or almost black, yellowish. The adult male is light orange[2] or brownish-yellow, with a darker transverse stripe on the dorsal side of the chest. Antennae, legs and one pair of wings are well developed. Eye color is purple-red. There are no mouthparts. Sometimes wingless forms are found. The male's body length is 0.85 mm.[3]

First instar larva (vagrant). The body shape is oblong-oval. Body length – 0.2–0.3 mm. The legs are well developed, the eyes are simple. The mouthparts are two to three times longer than the larval body.[2] The color of the integument ranges from light yellow to light orange.[3]

Second instar larva (female). The shield is gray, with a diameter of 0.42 mm.[2] Legs, antennae and eyes are missing. The scutellum is gray, with one larval skin in the center.[3]

Larva of the second and subsequent instars (male). During the transformation process, the scutellum takes on a characteristic oblong shape and reaches its maximum size already at the stage of the second moult. Each subsequent molt leads to increased division of the insect's body into the abdomen, head and thorax. The oral organs and copulatory apparatus are reduced, and the rudiments of wings appear.[3]

Nymph (male larval development stage). The scutellum has an elongated oval shape. The length of the shield is up to 0.1 mm, the width is up to 0.6 mm. The color of the scutum ranges from gray to almost black.[3] Diapausing larva. The scutellum is larger than that of a normal larva. The color of the shield is black. Body color is yellow.[3]

Development

First instar larva (overwintering). The development of larvae that have successfully survived the winter period begins simultaneously with the flow of sap in the food plants. At this stage, the development of females and males is the same.[3]

Female larva. A yellowish larval skin appears in the central part of the rounded shield. Antennae, legs and eyes are reduced. After 10–15 days, secondary molting occurs and transformation into an adult female occurs.[3]

The female develops within 30–33 days. The end of development coincides with the emergence of adult males.[7]

The male larva undergoes two more moults, successively passing through the pronymph and nymph stages, and develops into an adult insect.[3]

Male . The flight of males and the appearance of females coincide. In the Sochi region, the number of males exceeds the number of females by two to three times. In Georgia this ratio is approximately equal. In Transcarpathia, males make up about 7–9% of the total number of insects. Males are located on the leaves on the underside; females predominate on the petioles.[3] The life of males is short - from several hours to several days.[2]

Parthenogenesis . During the reproduction of the Californian scale insect, cases of parthenogenesis are observed, but this method of reproduction is not predominant.[3]

The mating period takes place at the end of the first ten days of May (Transcarpathia).[2] After this, the maturation of females lasts about a month. The hatching of the larvae extends for another two months. The fertility of female Californian scale insects ranges from 87 in the Primorsky Territory to 138 in the Maykop region and 587 larvae in some areas of the USA.[3]

The first instar larva (vagrant) hatches, emerges from under the mother’s shield and looks for a convenient place to attach. Prefers the trunk and main skeletal branches. It does not form large colonies on young shoots. Some of the scale insects settle near the buds, in cracks and wrinkles of the bark near fruit branches. The tramp can live without food for about seven days. But within a few hours after hatching, the tramp pierces the bark with the help of spiny bristles of the oral apparatus and begins to feed.

After attaching to the plant, the larva secretes waxy threads that intertwine, form a white shield and cover the insect’s body from above.

Within 8–10 days, the shield acquires a gray tint. By this time, the first instar larva has completed its development and molts. The molting process takes place over 10–11 days. The larva enters the second instar only 18–21 days after hatching.[3]

Diapausing larva. A certain number of vagrants fall into a state of diapause. In Maikop, diapausing larvae are found at the end of June, and in Sochi - at the beginning of July. The larva remains in this state either until the fall or until the spring of the next year.[3]

Larvae of males and females of the second instar of the summer generation develop in the same way as spring individuals. The process is completed within ten days.[3]

Features of development. The development of each of the summer generations continues for 60 days. The number of generations - from one to four - depends on the habitat area. For example, in the Primorsky Territory, the development of only one generation is observed during the growing season, in Adjara - four, in Sochi - three.

In autumn, colonies of California scale insects consist of individuals of different ages. Winter cold leads to the death of adult females and second-instar larvae. At –32°C, up to 87% of the larvae die off (Maikop). Meanwhile, in the Primorsky Territory, the Californian scale insect is found in areas where the winter minimum can reach –45.1°C. However, in subtropical conditions (in Adjara, Sochi), there is no clear winter diapause and by the end of February most larvae reach the second instar. Nymphal stages of males and larval stages of females are also found.[3]

Morphologically related species

In terms of external structure (morphology), the false Californian scale insect (Diaspidiotus ostreaeformis) is close to the described species. The size of the female scutum is up to 2 mm in diameter. Almost flat. The larval skins (in the female) are shifted to the edge of the scutellum. The color of the shield is gray, lighter at the edges. It does not settle on fruits and green shoots.[4]

In addition to the species described above, the red pear scale insect (Epidiaspis leperii), which also resembles the Californian scale insect (Diaspidiotus perniciosus) in external structure, is often found.[4]

Geographical distribution

The California scale insect is distributed across all continents of the Earth in the form of foci. Her homeland is China. From there it was brought to California (USA), then it spread to South and North America. After that, it was introduced to Southern and Western Europe, Africa, Australia, etc.[7]

Maliciousness

The Californian scale insect sucks sap from the trunks, branches, leaves and fruits of trees of various species. Typical polyphage. More than 150 species of woody plants can act as fodder trees. As a result of the vital activity of the insect, cracking and death of the bark, summer falling of leaves, curvature of shoots, decreased growth, drying out of some branches and even complete death of the plant can occur. Seedlings and young trees are especially affected. Yields are significantly reduced, and red spots are observed on the fruits.[7]

Struggle

Quarantine restrictions. Planting gardens is allowed only with healthy planting material in areas not infected with the Californian scale insect. It is strictly forbidden to export cuttings and planting material to areas not infected with scale insects from infected places.[7]

Agrotechnical measures. Thinning the crown, cutting out dry and damaged branches, removing dead trees from the garden, destroying bushes and root shoots. All removed plants and their parts are burned.[7]

Mechanical methods of struggle. Cleaning of skeletal branches and trunks from dead bark, mosses and lichens onto a sheet of paper, followed by burning of the scraps.[7] The chemical method consists of timely spraying of crowns and trunks, seedlings, pyrethroids, organophosphorus compounds, and neonicotinoids.[6] Biological method of control. Spraying with biological pesticides is effective.[6]

How to deal with scale insects

The insect is resistant to low temperatures and can withstand frosts down to -35 C. The protective shell protects the scale insect from external influences. The fight against this pest cannot be called easy. If the scale of infection is large, the use of insecticides cannot be avoided. Methods of combating scale insects that have settled on plums depend on the degree of damage to plants.

Chemicals

Insecticides can completely destroy scale insects. But they are used in advanced cases. Do not use chemicals during the fruiting period. Pesticides will get into ripe fruits, which will become unsuitable for food.

Important! A one-time treatment with insecticides is not enough. 3-4 sprayings are carried out with a break of one week.

“Aktara”, “Confidor Extra”, “Aktellik” are proven chemicals against insect pests. Scale insects are capable of developing immunity to drugs, so it is recommended to change them periodically.

Biological drugs

If an insect was noticed on plums during the fruiting period, pesticides cannot be used; biological methods of pest control are used:

• Remove all infected branches and shoots and burn them.
• The root circle is completely cleared of grass, shoots and fallen leaves, 3 cm of soil is removed and the tree is sprinkled with wood ash.
• The formed growths along with moss and pieces of bark are removed from the trunk.

You can find biological products on store shelves; they are safe for fruits and show good results in pest control:

The garden is under quarantine. Until the insect is defeated, it is not recommended to plant new fruit trees.

Folk recipes

Traditional methods of combating scale insects are effective only at the initial stage of infection, but they can be used during the period of plum fruiting:

• Dissolve half a piece of laundry soap in 10 liters of water and wipe the bark and leaves with the solution.
• Dilute soda ash in a ratio of 10 g of powder per 10 liters of water, spray the plants with the solution through a spray bottle.
• Onion peels, tobacco and wormwood - infuse fragrant herbs for 24 hours in a bucket of water. The resulting product must be filtered and sprayed on trees affected by scale insects.

Experienced gardeners release insects onto the affected trees that feed on scale insects: ladybugs and ichneumon beetles. This method is perfect for preventing and protecting plants from small pests.

How to get rid of scale insects

If you notice signs of pests on your houseplants, act immediately. The sooner you take action, the greater the likelihood of saving the flowers.

There are three methods of fighting

Mechanical method

Prepare a warm soap solution (the type of soap is not important), cotton pads or a soft cloth. Protect the soil in the pot with film. Now in the bathroom we carefully wipe all surfaces of the plant - stems and leaves

We pay special attention to the bottom of the sheet and hard-to-reach places. Leave for 30-40 minutes

We wash off the soap with warm water from the shower. The jet also washes off parasites well. For better results, you can use a brush or tweezers. Let the plant dry and treat it with chemical or folk remedies.

Chemical methods

After removing the adult pests using the mechanical method, we begin to fight the larvae and eggs. Chemical insecticides such as

• Aktara – parasites become non-viable after 24 hours
• Actellik - instantly acts on the body and intestines of pests, death occurs within a few hours
• Bankol - paralyzes pests, as a result of which they die on the 3rd day after treatment
• Inta-vir – is not absorbed into the flower, forms a film on its surface, damages the nervous system of parasites, death occurs within 72 hours
• Karbofos - destroys the protective shell of the pest, accumulates in the body and paralyzes the nervous system, as a result of which it dies within a few hours
• Mospilan - saturates the entire plant and poisons the pest through the juice, damaging the nervous system, the result is visible within a couple of hours
• Fitoverm - acts on the skin and intestines of parasites, death occurs after 2-3 days
• Fufanon - disrupts the metabolic processes of insects and disables nerve cells, death occurs within a day

Traditional methods

Some gardeners have a positive opinion about folk methods of combating scale insects, while others are skeptical about them and consider them ineffective. Let's look at the main ones

• tar, laundry, green soap – 20g per 1 liter of liquid
• wood ash – 150g, boil for half an hour in 0.5 liters of water, dilute with 5 liters of water
• machine, burdock, sunflower oil - 10 ml per 1 liter of soap solution consisting of 20 ml of liquid soap or washing powder diluted in water
• technical alcohol, ammonia or kerosene - 5 ml per 1 liter of warm soap solution
• onion – chop 1 piece, leave in 250 ml of water
• hot pepper – 100g per 1 liter of water, boil, cool, add soap
• dry tobacco or shag – 70g, infuse in 1 liter of water for 24 hours, strain
• garlic – chop 6 cloves, boil in 0.5 liters of water for half an hour, cool

Pest control in various ways

Insects have a shield that protects the scale insect from various influences. But a set of measures aimed at defeating the pest can be effective.

Among them:

• mechanical removal of a small settlement using a swab soaked in alcohol;
• folk methods that work on young individuals. These are different infusions and decoctions;
• biological, use of entomophages and fungicides;
• chemical, strong insecticides.

But when using any methods of control, it is necessary to take into account the life cycle of the scale insect, because at a certain moment, when it is covered with a shell, almost all actions will be ineffective.

Biological control methods

Biological methods are used when you do not want to use chemicals. Although they don't always work in one season, they are quite effective.

Let's look at them in more detail:

• change in the genetic code. Of course, this method may not be easy to use in small gardens, but on an industrial scale its use is advisable. Here's what it looks like in practice: some pests are selected, and their gene is changed in the laboratory so that they cannot produce offspring. After this, these individuals are released back into the garden. They mate with common pests, but do not produce offspring. Thus, the number of pests in the garden is significantly reduced;
• use of phytoncides or essential oils. These are volatile substances with a certain aroma that pests are not happy about. These include onions and garlic growing in every garden, as well as some flowers and bushes, such as marigolds or mint. These may also include many trees - representatives of conifers, eucalyptus, fir;
• attracting beneficial insects and birds. This method will help get rid of various bugs and caterpillars. Cute ladybugs, for example, eat hordes of aphids with great appetite. Birds can be attracted by placing feeders.

These products do not give an immediate effect, but are worth attention, because they are safe for everyone except pests.

What do scale insects look like?

According to the description, these are small insects that feed on the juice of almost any, with the exception of fragrant, plants, by the way, citrus fruits too. In nature, there are several thousand species of this insect. All of them are very voracious, and therefore dangerous even for large trees.

Shield insects switch from one type of food to another without any problems. It would be more accurate to say that they don’t care which plant they suck the juice from - from a felt cherry or an euonymus, from a pine tree or a cherry plum.

Male insects, unlike females, do not live long. It is the females and larvae that cause real damage to plants.

If you look at scale insects under a magnifying glass, you can see some similarities with tiny turtles. These insects also have a shell on their backs, just like turtles. This shell reliably protects the tiny body from external influences, including toxic chemicals. This is the reason why scale insects are so difficult to control.

Females lay eggs, from which larvae emerge very soon. Hordes of children immediately help their mothers destroy any vegetation in the garden or vegetable garden. Females and larvae secrete the so-called honeydew. This is nothing more than a product of their vital activity, causing fungal diseases of plants. It looks like the work of aphids. By the way, ants do not eat either aphids or scale insects, so you don’t need them on your site either.

Tiny scale insects are capable of sucking plant sap even through the bark: this causes the death of young shoots of spruce trees, juniper bushes, birch trees, and oranges. It is not difficult for them to bite through leaves or fruits. Here is a photo of the scale insect.

Scale insects and its types

The peculiarity of this insect is manifested in the presence of a protective shield consisting of the remains of the larvae’s scales, glued together with its secretions. Externally, such a shell is very similar to irregularities in the surface of tree bark, which makes visual detection of the pest difficult.

The size of the insect does not exceed 5 mm, its main activity is sucking juices from plants, so it is necessary to fight scale insects in the garden, otherwise, when it multiplies en masse, the bark, fruits and ovaries on the tree will be covered with scatterings of these pests. Insects also secrete honeydew, which becomes a breeding ground for sooty fungi, causing the affected plants to gradually dry out and die.

Signs of a scale insect settlement:

• yellow spots appear on the leaves, then they turn yellow completely, curl and fall from the branches;
• the bark cracks, thin and thicker branches begin to fall off;
• the growth of the tree is inhibited, which can lead to its complete drying out and death.

Weakened trees are most susceptible to scale infestation; their appearance is also affected by excess nitrogen fertilizers, insufficient lighting of plants, lack of moisture, and dry air.

Reproduction of scale insects Female Californian scale insects lay up to 140 live oval-shaped larvae of yellow-lemon color at once. Having matured a little, the strays actively begin to move along the branches of the plant. Having thrust their proboscis into the bark, they secrete a waxy secretion in the form of threads that stick to their body and gradually harden, becoming a gray shell. After 10-12 days, the cover is shed during molting, and the larva enters the next stage of growth. When cold weather sets in, the shell becomes denser and turns black. In winter, you can find first and second instar larvae, as well as adult fertile female scale insects on cherry plum and other trees.

With the onset of spring warmth, with the beginning of sap flow, all generations of scale insects awaken and are ready for active activity. The larvae settle on all branches, leaves, and shoots of the tree. The larvae feed on plant sap, sticking to its leaves. This time is ideal for the main phase of pest control.

Scale insects on apple trees and other fruit trees can completely cover the trunk and branches, which causes the damaged bark to die, diseased leaves to fall, and thin branches to dry out. Diseased trees are more easily affected by other pests: bark beetle and black cancer. On felt cherries, they can damage all small shoots and leaves in a few days.

The spread of insects between trees occurs through the crawling of “vagrant” larvae along closed branches.

Insect species

As already mentioned, in total there are about 2,400 species of thyroid glands in nature. Each has its own characteristics, which determine the harm they cause to plants. If you know their distinctive features, you can promptly detect them on your site and choose the right means for destruction.

Table

Quarantine insects

As can be seen from the table, the mulberry and Californian scale insects are considered the most dangerous. They are practically omnivorous and are capable of destroying almost an entire garden plot in one invasion. Therefore, they are classified as quarantine insects. This means that in the regions where an outbreak of infection has been recorded, a system of quarantine measures is being organized: strict inspection of seed and planting materials, food products, plant and industrial raw materials, and their thorough inspection during export. In central Russia, the Californian scale insect is very rare. It usually causes damage to the Far East and the Kuril Islands.

Targets

In the table they are indicated conditionally, otherwise no cells would be enough to accommodate all those crops on which one or another type of scale insect can live. For example, comma-shaped was already found on 150 species of plants (both ornamental and garden, as well as forest). Experts are confident that this list will gradually grow. Some species even attack those trees and shrubs that are protected by nature from all insects with toxic substances. These include, for example, noble laurel and white derain.

How to distinguish from false scale insects?

There is also the so-called false scale insect (false scale insect), which is easy to distinguish from the usual one. She has a pea-shaped shield, not flat. It practically grows together with the insect, so plucking it from the plant is not so easy. But it is devoid of a wax coating, soft, and therefore susceptible to destruction under the influence of insecticides.

Basic methods of struggle

The insect has a protective shell, which makes the process of fighting it labor-intensive. If scale insects have managed to multiply, then you cannot do without the use of chemical insecticides. The plant is sprayed with them in 3-4 procedures until the scale insects are completely destroyed. When there are very few pests or the crop is ripening, which does not allow the use of toxic substances, then folk or biological remedies can be used.

To make the fight easier or protect your garden from scale insects, you need to keep it in order:

• trim and thin out the crown as necessary;
• clean the trunk of dead particles of bark, moss and lichen;
• cut off infected shoots and burn them;
• remove growth in the root zone.

Each new plant brought to the site must be carefully examined and quarantined. The seedling should not be placed in the garden until it is completely free of pests.

Chemicals

Chemical insecticides show very good results in the fight against scale insects. They contain toxic substances that cause the death of the pest. But to prevent toxic compounds from accumulating in plum fruits, treatments must be carried out either long before ripening or after harvesting. The exact timing is indicated in the instructions for each drug.

“Working” insecticides against scale insects:

1. “Drug 30 (B)” is used in early spring, before the buds appear. It will destroy the larvae overwintering in the bark.
2. "Aktara" is a systemic insecticide that is used both for spraying and for root watering of young plum seedlings.
3. "Actellik" containing organophosphorus compounds. An effective but toxic product, which is not recommended for use near the home.
4. "Biotlin."
5. "Confidor Extra".

It is recommended to change insecticides so that scale insects do not develop immunity to them.

Folk remedies

The fight against scale insects on plums can also be carried out using folk remedies. But such methods will bring the desired result only if there are very few insects. There are no compounds that are poisonous to humans in recipes for treating fruit trees, and their use of folk remedies is safe for health. Here are some of them:

1. A simple solution of 10 g of laundry soap shavings in 10 liters of water.
2. 50 g of green soap diluted in 10 liters of water.
3. 10 g of soda ash per 10 liters of water.
4. An infusion of “caustic” plants: garlic, walnut, shag and wormwood.
5. Emulsion of machine oil and soap solution. The optimal proportion is 1:10. Can be used once per decade.

Such products are used for spraying plums. Treatments, as when using chemicals, should be carried out at intervals of 7–10 days.

Biological

Biological studies have identified natural enemies of scale insects, which are now used to combat the pest:

1. Ladybugs, and especially the reniform and two-spotted chylocorus, reduce the number of scale insects by 50–70% if released into the garden in May. One individual can eat approximately 700 larvae.
2. The small parasite Prospaltella perniciosi is also effective against the pest.
3. To destroy scale insects, you can use popular biological products containing nematodes or fungi: Aversectin, Avertin and Nemabact.

They do not contain toxic substances, so the crop will be safe after their use. Biological products do not harm the plum itself.

When choosing a method to combat scale insects on drains, it is necessary to correctly assess the scale of the infestation and the real threat. For better results, you can combine chemical, folk and biological drugs with each other

It is important to follow the instructions and not forget about regularity: if you skip one treatment, you will have to start all over again

Reproduction, life cycle

The California scale insect is active in the warm season. Over the entire season, it manages to reproduce 2 generations of larvae. One female lays about 100 eggs. They develop under the cover of a durable shell. The female dies, and small, mobile bugs appear from the eggs. The larvae feed on the pulp and juice of plant leaves.

After 22 days, the nymphs become motionless and acquire their own scutes. At the same stage, the ability to mate develops. Males shed their scutes, females after fertilization become motionless, tightly attached to branches and tree trunks.

With the onset of spring, the movement of sap in the trees becomes more active, and the larvae wake up. They are completing their developmental stage. Already at the end of March, the plants are infected with dangerous bugs.

Sources

• https://www.agro-biz.ru/vrediteli/shhitovka-kaliforniyskaya-zlostnyiy-vreditel-plodovyih-derevev.html
• https://BeetleStop.ru/kak-izbavitsya-ot-shhitovki/
• https://idachniki.ru/bolezni-rasteniy/shhitovka.html
• https://DachaNaLadoni.ru/spravochnik-tsvetovoda/vrediteli/kak-izbavitsya-ot-shhitovki-klassifikaciya-i-foto-vreditelya.html
• https://BeetleStop.ru/kaliforniyskaya-shhitovka/
• https://BeetleStop.ru/shhitovka-na-yablone/
• https://rastenievod.com/shhitovka.html
• https://agronomu.com/bok/3874-kak-borotsya-so-schitovkoy-na-komnatnyh-rasteniyah.html
• https://rastenia.info/zabolevaniya/schitovka.html
• https://superda4nik.ru/shhitovka-na-yablone/
• https://apest.ru/shchitovka/kalifornijskaya-shchitovka/

Types of scale insects: what they look like

Seeing a pest at the beginning of its development is a very difficult task. But often it is revealed by moving along the stems or leaves of a plant, in search of a “cozy” place. This type of insect looks like small dirt on the leaves, and also prefers to live on the reverse side of it.

It is easier to notice the parasite some time after its appearance; the individuals will increase in size and begin to leave behind a sticky liquid.

These insects have certain differences in gender characteristics:

1. Females are characterized by larger sizes compared to males. Initially, immediately after hatching, the insect has legs, which allows them to move in space and explore new territories. Having chosen the most comfortable place, the female attaches herself to it. With the receipt of food, its accelerated growth begins and over time it becomes covered with a shell, giving it protection from external threats. The paws atrophy, and the female will no longer be able to move, so she lays eggs there.
2. Males are much smaller in size, but this is compensated by the presence of powerful legs and fairly developed wings. They have a very short life cycle, no more than two days, but during this period they can cover enormous distances.

The most common types of insects plant lovers encounter are:

1. Orange scale insect. Lives mainly on plants of the citrus family
2. Cactus scale insect. It has a slightly gray tint, its habitat is described by its name, and often affects Astrophytums.
3. Euonymus scale insect. The females of this species are bright brown in color, while the shield of the males is white.
4. Palm scale insect. It affects the leaves of palm plants on both sides. It is about 2 mm in diameter and white-gray in color.
5. Ivy scale insect. Has virtually no protruding yellow coating. They prefer to eat oleander and ivy.
6. Pink scale insect. The female has a convex yellow carapace. The male individual is reddish in color.
7. Bay scale insect. The protective covering of individuals of this species is cherry and shell-shaped.
8. Brown scale insect. The most common subspecies of scale insects. It has a diameter of just over 2 mm and affects the fruits and leaves of most plants.
9. California scale insect. Females have a rounded shell, colored in the color of bark, reaching 2 mm in size. Males of this species are half the size (no more than 1 mm) and have a varying shade of gray.
10. Mulberry scale. Females of the subspecies have a yellow or orange body and a white round shell. In the male, the shield is also white, but is distinguished by its excessive elongation.

There are also so-called false shields. They feed on the sap of indoor plants, and instead spray poison into the leaves, which disrupts the process of photosynthesis taking place in the flower. For this reason, on plants affected by this pest, the leaves acquire a reddish tint and change shape.

The following types of false scale insects are distinguished:

• Oblong pad. It has a bright greenish color and an oval shape.
• Olive. It usually affects citrus plants. It has a dark brown color.
• Soft. The most common subspecies of false scale insects. Prefers orchids and palm trees for food. Females reach 4 mm in size and have a yellow, asymmetrical body.

False shield

Indoor plants affected by scale insects

The scale insect belongs to a huge family of hemipteran insects. Of the variety of species (more than 2 thousand), several dozen prefer to parasitize house plants.

Depending on the stage of development, they have different activity and vulnerability. These pests have perfectly adapted to living off plants.

Characteristics of the parasite

All species of the family have protective wax shields on their bodies that are different in shape, size and color, but are not part of their body (if compared with false scale insects). At home, scale insects most prefer to feast on citrus fruits, palm trees and bromeliads (orchids).

The female has an oval or rounded, flat, brown, reddish or almost black shield (the color is a specific feature of the species, so it may be different), reaching a length of 5 mm. The body itself under the shield is white or pale brown, 1.5-2 mm long. Paws, wings, eyes, antennae are missing. There is only a powerful oral apparatus of the piercing-sucking type.

Males are smaller in size. They are oblong, with a small shield, often white and pubescent, but can be light orange, reddish-gray, etc. There are no mouthparts, but there are eyes and well-formed limbs, as well as wings. They are mobile, capable of even flying, but their life is short (several days) and they die after mating.

Females live up to 4 months; they motionlessly cover the offspring on the plant. The insect is characterized by such a phenomenon as parthenogenesis (females reproduce without the participation of males). The eggs are extremely small - 0.1-0.3 mm, oval or oval-elongated, white, then light gray, and then light brown.

Varieties of scale insects

Young yellowish larvae up to 0.3 mm long are nicknamed tramps, as they quickly wander around the plant on their 3 pairs of legs in search of food. Mostly they transform into females, fixing themselves in any convenient place, losing mobility and acquiring a waxy shield.

Parasites are especially active and voracious in winter, when plants are weakened and their metabolism is impaired due to improper care.

External signs of a pest

The hatched larvae, just a few hours after hatching from the eggs, begin to actively absorb the juices of the plant, choosing mainly the lower part of the leaves. The presence of adults can be detected with the naked eye due to the presence of spots (plaques) on the trunks and leaves.

Small young animals are difficult to notice, but a magnifying glass will help you see their active movement. If you didn’t have a chance to look at it in time, then honeydew (sticky liquid) will indicate their presence. This is a convenient environment for the development of sooty fungus. The overall result is drying out, falling leaves, and death of plant parts.

Where does the parasite come from in the house?

The scale insect appears indoors due to infected purchased and donated plants, specimens dug from open ground, and garden soil. Parasites are sometimes carried through the window by the wind.

Important! Newly established plants must undergo a 2-3-week quarantine in isolation, and questionable soil should be disinfected in any convenient way (freeze several times, steam, pour boiling water in small portions, treat with Aktara solution, etc.)

Parasite harm to indoor plants

The harm of the scale insect is that it sucks out the cell sap of plants. As a result of this activity, the leaves turn yellow or brown, curl and fall, the growth of shoots stops, the flowers dry out and then die.

Pest control measures

It is difficult to fight scale insects, since they multiply quite quickly, and the shell-like shield protects it from the effects of pesticides. All used control methods can be divided into groups.

1. Mechanical. At an early stage of infection or if the plant is small, the affected branches or branches should be removed (followed by burning them). You can try to wipe insects off the leaves with a soapy sponge or a swab soaked in alcohol.
2. Folk. In the fight against scale insects, folk remedies do not give good results. You can try spraying with a mixture of machine oil and soapy water (1:10); carry out the procedure at least three times every 10 days. Various herbal infusions are also used: onion, garlic, pepper, fern, tobacco, celandine, walnut. A mixture of 1% pine concentrate with a 0.5% solution of laundry soap and a 0.2% salt solution is effective against young larvae (vagrants).
3. Biological. Entomophages (for example, blastotrix and others) can be used against scale insects. Mulberry scale and false scale insects are especially sensitive to biological agents. Biological methods also include fungicides based on fungi (avertin, aversectin) and pathogenic nematodes (nemabact). These drugs can be successfully used in the fight against Californian scale insects.
4. Chemical. Unfortunately, such an insidious pest as scale insects cannot be dealt with without pesticides. But even when using potent insecticides, it is necessary to take into account the development cycle of these insects. Since the shell is quite good protection, the most vulnerable are young wandering larvae.

When sprayed with oily emulsions, a film is formed that deprives the scale insect of access to air, and also, flowing under the shield, poisons the insect.

In case of severe infection, the plant should be sprayed again immediately after flowering with karbofos, actellik, rovikurt or rogor. The preparation Aktar gives good results; it can be used to spray the plant itself and the soil underneath it. In June, the treatment should be repeated, since at this time the Californian scale insect produces second-generation larvae. And if infected with mulberry scale insects, treatment must be carried out in September.

The scale insect is a very insidious enemy, the fight against it is always long and difficult. But now you know how to get rid of scale insects in the garden. By treating the plants correctly and in a timely manner, you can cope with 90% of these pests. Then be patient, arm yourself with our advice and don’t give up. You will definitely be a winner!

Reasons for the appearance of scale insects

If the appearance of scale insects in the garden does not raise any special questions (since the pest flies freely through the air and is able to travel quite long distances), then their appearance in houses is a rather unexpected phenomenon, but possible.

In 90% of cases, scale insects enter houses and apartments due to new plants. We have already said above that only adult individuals lead a sedentary lifestyle, while young animals are quite capable of moving from one plant to another, endangering your entire garden or home plantation.

To prevent this, it is recommended to carefully inspect the plant that you bring into your home, even if you bought it in a specialty store.

In any case, you will need to quarantine the plant (separately, in some room where there are no other plants), and it is also recommended to give the plant a shower of warm water. Moreover, both the leaves and the stem of the plant should be under the scent. If your plant is picky about water, dry it after a shower.

Signs and Symptoms of Plant Infestation

Citrus scale

All types of pests (larvae and adults) feed on plant juices, sucking them out with a long proboscis. Stems, branches, trunks, roots, leaves, and fruits are attacked by the pest. On these parts the insect forms numerous colonies that resemble growths.

Yellow spots appear at the puncture site, increase in size, leaves lose their green color, curl and fall off. The plant stops growing, branches and stems become bent and exposed, and the bark cracks. Then everything starts to dry out.

The fruits become smaller, their sugar content decreases and acidity increases. Deterioration in taste properties leads to rotting, starting from the places of damage. This crop cannot be stored.

With severe infection, not only herbaceous plants and bushes die, but also young trees. In winter, plants weakened by the pest do not tolerate frost well.

Insects secrete and leave a sugary substance – honeydew – on the leaves and shoots. The leaves become shiny and sticky. Later, a sooty fungus settles on these secretions, forming a gray or black coating.

Signs of plant damage by scale insects

The main sign of the appearance of the pest is the formation of light and brownish round scales on the leaves of trees.
The latter are quite difficult to separate from the surface. Such manifestations indicate the presence of adult California scale insects. A sign of the spread of pest larvae is the loss of natural shine by tree bark. Infection of plants by developing insects also leads to the appearance of sap drips on branches and trunks and gluing of leaves. Brown and red spots form on damaged areas of wood. In the absence of actions aimed at destroying the insect larvae, these areas subsequently die off, which leads to the gradual drying out of the plant.

The best chemicals

According to the majority of experienced gardeners and gardeners, an effective chemical remedy for scale insects is the Aktara insecticide. Its destructive effect on insects lasts for a whole month. An aqueous solution of this product is not only sprayed on plants, but also watered on the soil underneath them.

In second place in popularity are organic neonicotinoid pesticides. Under their influence, the functioning of the nervous system of insects stops. They can neither move nor eat, and die of hunger. Such remedies include drugs Apache, Mospilan, Tanrek, Golden Iskra, Confidor, Colorado.

Many summer residents prefer to use juvenoids. They are synthetic analogues of insect hormones. These substances disrupt the metabolic processes in pests, causing them to soon die. Drugs with this effect are Admiral, Phasis, and some others.

Also, in the fight against scale insects, enteric-contact drugs can be used. When they enter the digestive system of insects, they die very quickly. This category of protective drugs includes Karbofos, Actellik, Alatar, Kemifos, Antiklesch, Novaktion.

All of the above drugs are very toxic. They must be used only in strict accordance with the instructions, and they are always included with each package. When processing plants, you must follow safety rules. In particular, you need to work with them wearing glasses, rubber gloves, protective clothing, and a respirator.

Warning before destroying scale insects

Before you destroy the scale insect, take care of your own safety. If you choose to use chemical sprays, you should take care to protect yourself with covered clothing and protective equipment such as gloves, safety glasses, and a mask (or respirator).

When using any chemicals or insecticides, be sure to read the label - this is very important for your health and the environment. After applying any chemicals or pesticides, be sure to thoroughly wash all exposed skin with soap and water. It is better to clean and dry clothes outside the home, for example in the garage

It is better to clean and dry clothes outside the home, for example in the garage

After applying any chemicals or pesticides, be sure to thoroughly wash all exposed skin with soap and water. It is better to clean and dry clothes outside the home, for example in the garage.

Varieties

mulberry

The mulberry scale insect is a malicious pest of gardens, forests and vegetable gardens. It is almost universal, because... affects almost all stone fruit trees, mulberries and tea plantations. The white scutes of females cover the upper part of the trunks and shoots, while the males develop on the lower part.

Adult insects are yellow in color. In April, when the air warms up, the female lays about a hundred eggs, which mature under her shield. Vagrants (first instar larvae) hatch after a month, lead an active lifestyle, and then stick to the tree trunk and become covered with a shield. By early June, females become adults. Males hatch at different times, their flight lasts for 1.5 - 2 months. The life of one male is about ten days. At the end of June, females of the 2nd generation appear. Only fertilized females overwinter.

Californian

The California scale insect is a quarantine pest. It affects more than 200 species

The most unpleasant thing is that this species is extremely prolific: there are from 100 to 300 eggs in a clutch, up to four generations mature over the summer.

Scale insects are an extremely harmful creature that is dangerous for garden crops. You should very carefully monitor the condition of green spaces and take timely measures to combat this insect.