How to get rid of tea scale?

mom24kids00

15 years ago

The camellia that I have had for several years has tea scale. How do I get rid of it?

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Comments (5)

luis_pr
15 years ago
Oil emulsion sprays will give you effective control if applied early in the morning on days when the temperatures are mild (45-85 F). Systemic insecticides like Cygon and Orthene can also control tea scale. Contact insecticides like Malathion, Dursban and Sevin are very effective but repeat applications may be necessary. I suggest applying two types of controls (read the label and make sure that the active ingredient is different) so the scale insects will not get used to applications of a single insecticide.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
15 years ago
Luis, you've mentioned some exceedingly toxic pesticides that have been pulled from the market for private use. Cygon has been out for several years, and Dursban followed soon after. I believe that you can still obtain Orthene, but probably not for long.
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Mcg... There are numerous, chemical insecticides around. I for one do not use chemicals, unless absolutely necessary. I've repeated my experience with scale, GW members are probably tired of hearing.. :) I've sucessfully killed and never again seen scale on my plants for years.. In 1999, I bought an Olive tree from an online nursery. Tree arrived at night. I placed the tree in-between two citrus trees. I 'usually' mist plants daily, but for some reason I skipped the following day.. Two days later, while spraying, I noticed a brown bump on the olive tree. I walked up to inspect and discoverd olive PACKED w/scale. From top to bottom foliage. Not only were scale on the olive tree, but also moved to the nearest citrus branches. I recalled a woman who owns a citrus nursery in Fl telling me she uses Fish Emulsion as a scale preventative. I phoned her, explained the situation..she gave me dosage instructions. 1 capful Fish Emulsion and about 16oz, 'give or take,' water. I mixed FE and water, then sprayed away..I sprayed the olive, citrus and other neighboring plants...in case. Honest to God, within 24-hours, all signs of scale were gone. Erased for good I don't remember if it was 3-days or 1-week later, but I spayed a second applicaton. To this day, I've never found scale on any plant, and I have quite a few. The only problem with FE is it has a fishy odor, but the smell only lasts 2-3 days, 'indoors.' Besides, it's worth the odor if scale appear on a favorite plant/s. Fish Emulsion is organic, and mainly used to fertilize plants. FE won't burn leaves or roots since it's chemical-free. There are other oils, but they don't fertillize..So, I think, spraying with FE as completing two jobs. In autumn, I spray summered, outdoor plants w/FE and other non-chemical items so scale and mites die before bringing back indoors. I also spray with this mix on plants that remain inside year round. Good luck, Toni
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fireflyintexas
15 years ago
I have had good luck with dusting the leaves, especially the undersides, with dusting sulphur. It is an old, but effective, remedy. Good luck!
fireflyintexas
idranoel
15 years ago
I am having a HORRIBLE problem with tea scale on a particular camellia. It is really crippling the plant. Can anyone specify a certain brand of insecticide to get the job done? I am at my wits end with applying stuff (spray on stuff) that appears to be totally ineffective.

Dan
User
15 years ago
Camellia tea scale is a difficult insect to control once it's taken hold. I have found all-season oil sprays work the best, but you have to spray until you see no more white. That may mean putting on a rain suit and getting a hose-end sprayer. Ortho makes a great one that you just pour the oil in, set the dial and go. No measuring required. You have to spray on the underside until the oil penetrates the scale. Also several applications may need to be applied and once it's under control you can spray seasonally spring and fall when insects are in crawler stages works well too.

I had a plant about 6' tall that was so badly infested with scale that I just had to prune it severely then started spraying and it's now under control and beautiful.

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How to get rid of tea scale?

Comments (5)

luis_pr

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

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