Scale insects are tiny sap-sucking pests covered in waxy shells that feed off of sap from plants, sucking away their vitality to cause yellowing, browning, leaf drop or even death in their targets.
Since these pests reproduce rapidly, eradicating them can be challenging. To start off the process of eliminating scale bugs from plants effectively, wipe away any heavily infested branches or twigs as soon as you spot any; and spray with insecticidal soap or rubbing alcohol spray.
Damage to Plants
Scale insects may seem harmless at first, but their infestation can quickly turn damaging for plants. A heavy infestation may result in yellowed leaves, pitted surfaces and in extreme cases even death of the host plant. Furthermore, scale insects rob the sap needed for plant health to the point that vigor and overall health diminish as well as leaving vulnerable to weather extremes and other pests or diseases.
As soon as a plant appears unhealthy, its best way of telling is by inspecting its stems and leaf veins for shell-like bumps with shell-like shapes – often round and slightly asymmetrical – in their appearance. Scale infestation is easily identified when these bumps appear grouped together on leaves, stems or roots – typically clustered together and covered by waxy covering that protects them from predators as well as making removal more challenging by hand. They usually feature waxy coating that makes removal harder as they cannot be manually removed by hand alone – usually protected by waxy protective waxy covering that protects predators as well as manually removed manually – yet remain difficult due to waxy coating protection from predators a waxy covering protecting predators whilst making manual removal more challenging – they typically round-shaped with slightly off-centered orientation asymmetrical shapes rather than square ones.
As scale insects suck sap from plants, they secrete honeydew as they do so – an unsightly substance which attracts flies, ants, and other insect scavengers into an unsightly area, leading to growth of black soot-looking fungus that suffocates and reduces photosynthesis, thus slowing leaf development.
Woody plants such as shade trees, conifers and broadleaf evergreen shrubs tend to be heavily infested with scale insects; however, many houseplant species can also become affected. It is wise to inspect new houseplant purchases carefully prior to purchasing and quarantine them until full testing can take place for scale insects.
If a heavily infested plant is discovered, the best course of action would be to dispose of it rather than attempt treatment. If that’s not an option for you, sterilize all surfaces it came into contact with and spray other houseplants in its immediate surroundings with neem oil insecticidal spray to eliminate further infestation. For healthy plants that still appear healthy after some time has passed, repeat spraying in order to make sure no further outbreaks arise.
Honeydew
Scale insects won’t do much damage individually, but when combined in an infestation they can quickly drain vital plant nutrients away and lead to yellowed leaves, brown spots and dying twigs that eventually result in their death. To minimize any further issues related to an infestation of scale insects it’s essential to be able to quickly detect and treat an outbreak before any serious harm is done to plants. To do this effectively and avoid plant death it’s essential that we recognize and address an outbreak early. To do this successfully learn to spot and treat an outbreak before it causes any serious harm – be proactive and treating scale insect infestations immediately!
Scale insects secrete honeydew as they feed, drawing ants, bees and other insect scavengers to an infested plant and prompting sooty mold fungus growth – in turn drawing pathogens which may eventually debilitate it completely and cause it to die or wilt away.
Swollen and brown leaf surfaces are usually one of the first telltale signs that indicate you have a scale bug problem. Scale bugs often cluster together making them impossible to ignore. Depending on their species they can range in color from nearly transparent through brown, white and orange depending on your environment.
Scale insects feed by sucking sap out of plants, depriving it of essential nutrients and water sources and leaving deformed leaves and stunted growth in its wake. A heavy infestation may even cause deformed leaves to appear deformed while its presence results in deformed leaves and stunted growth – sometimes mistaken for disease, when in fact this condition can be due to scale insect invasions!
When trying to remove scale insects from a houseplant, begin by carefully wiping down its pot and any surfaces affected by an infestation. Next, soak a cotton pad or swab in rubbing alcohol and use it to wipe away visible scale insects – be sure to dunk the cotton pad into the alcohol first so it becomes fully saturated with chemical! When finished use antifungal spray or similar method to ensure no more outbreaks! Once completed ensure all areas affected have been cleaned of debris as this could introduce more pests or diseases into your home. Finally make sure all surfaces involved have been thoroughly cleaned so as to not spread anything to other houseplants!
Infestation Symptoms
Scale infestation can make plants appear sickly, as insects siphon sap out of them to feed on nutrients and vitality that drain away their vitality and leaves, ultimately dropping off or becoming deformed or dropping from the plant altogether. Heavy infestations may even result in stunted growth or even cause its death altogether.
Scale insects can often be identified by bumpy spots on the undersides of leaves near stem joints and clustered together near stem tips. Their bumpy appearance may cause confusion as it’s difficult to differentiate them from disease outbreaks like fungi or bacteria infections. Their colors range from brown, beige, rust-colored red to black or white with sizes that range between 1/8 of an inch up to several inches in diameter.
When you notice clusters of bumps on a houseplant, your first step should be to isolate it so the pests do not spread to other houseplants. If possible, move the infested plant outside if its climate permits; otherwise remove and dispose of any infected twigs, branches, leaves that have fallen from it; don’t compost these clippings; instead throw them away into the trash so as to not spread more pests to garden plants.
Once you have located and isolated the affected plant, begin the treatment process. If your plant is only moderately infested with bugs, manual removal may be possible by using cotton swabs dipped in alcohol to manually wipe off each bug – being sure to reach beneath their wax layers as well. Do this until all insects have been eliminated from your plant.
If your plant is suffering from severe infestation, spray the infested area with insecticidal soap such as neem oil. This treatment may prove more efficient than manual removal as the soap kills larvae before they mature into adults and begin sucking sap out of leaves and stem cells to feed on plant sap. You should repeat this treatment every few days as necessary for maximum effectiveness.
Prevention
Many people mistake scale insects for plant diseases like leaf spots or blight due to their waxy, cottony outer covering that mimics fungal infections like leaf spots. A heavy infestation of scale bugs may eventually kill off its host plant as it will wilt, drop leaves and shed branches or twigs as soon as it gets exposed.
If you detect an infestation of scale insects on one of your houseplants, use pruning shears to trim away infested areas with pruning shears and remove all diseased leaves, stems and roots as quickly as possible. Never dispose of or compost any infected clippings since these could spread the bugs further around the garden or home.
An infestation of scale insects is difficult to manage using chemical sprays alone, due to their highly resistant nymph stage which emerges shortly after hatching their eggs. Nymphs possess legs for movement around plants while seeking new places where they can attach themselves – killing these with other means, such as water or alcohol, may help eradicate most scale bugs before they mature into their shelled forms.
Garden and container beds should be watered and fed regularly, along with regular weeding and natural controls such as neem oil applications to combat scale insects. Meanwhile, predatory insects like lady beetles and parasitic wasps may help decrease an outbreak.
Ideally, the best way to prevent scale is through careful shopping at nurseries, greenhouses, and garden centers. Before bringing plants home or into your garden, ensure they have been carefully examined to prevent cross-infestation of species from different areas or origins. When planting native and indigenous species in gardens and containers together will encourage natural predators that help manage scale insect populations effectively while proper mulching can reduce honeydew production from plants, thus decreasing sooty mold growth that contributes significantly to sooty mold issues which is one of the major factors causing sooty mold issues caused by scale insects in gardens and containers alike.
