The results can cause tree growth to be hampered. Soft scale insects attach themselves to tree leaves and branches through large mouth parts, at times up to eight times bigger than their bodies, and feed on the nutrients that trees needs to grow. However, like all scale insects, don’t let their small stature fool you into thinking that they are not destructive, because soft scale insects can still cause major damage to your trees and shrubs. The shell of the soft scale insects are likened to resemble a very small turtle shell. ![]() Soft scale insects are similar to their counterparts, the armored scale insects, except that the waxy shell that is created covers only their back instead of the their whole body. Soft Scale Insectsĭo you have a tree pest problem? Talk to a Senske arborist about our holistic tree service. Allow our professionals to take the headache out of dealing with these annoying insects and protect your tree and shrub investments. If you are worried about the problems that Scale Insects may cause your trees and shrubs, contact us today at (877) 944-4007 or click to receive a FREE estimate. Some scale insects can also be controlled with systemic products, but results are not easy to determine. ![]() During the mobile crawler stage in early summer, June and July, scale insects can be susceptible to insect-controlling products. The most effective application is generally a dormant spray between November and March, preferably February and March. In our areas of service, the best time to control scale insects is during the insect’s dormant period with the use of a dormant spray, or when they are crawlers usually in early to mid-summer and looking to reproduce. The male scale insects, over time, develop wings that they use to travel from area to area in finding females to fertilize. These eggs hatch as small legged scale insects who then migrate to a good place to feed, losing their legs soon after while developing their waxy shell. Scale insects are mostly dormant over winter, with the unfertilized females begin laying eggs in the spring. Scale insects also kill twigs, branches, resulting in severe damage to an otherwise healthy tree. Scale insects can also produce a sticky sap, called “honeydew,” that can create a great environment for fungus to grow and adds further damage to trees and shrubs. These scale insects then insert these mouth parts into tree leaves and limbs, feeding on the tree sap, and when untreated, the continued feeding directly hampers the growth of the tree. Unarmored scale insects on the other hand only have a small shell that covers their back, resembling a turtle shell.Īlthough the two types of scale insects are small and would seem to cause only minor damage, they both contain large pointy, needle-like mouth parts that are up to eight times the length of their body. While both types are protected with wax built up by the insects themselves, the armored species has wax that covers their entire body. There are two main types of scale insects: armored and unarmored. Types of Scale Insects – Scale Insect Identification ![]() There are many factors that can be attributed to what is causing these conditions to occur in your trees and shrubs, and one such culprit is that you have an infestation of scale insects. Nothing diminishes the beauty of trees in your yard more than noticing the large amounts of unattractive bumps found on the leaves and branches. Senske can remove scale insects as part of our tree service program. Scale insects are common tree pests that swarm trees and cause serious damage.
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