Sorry to hear that Laura, yes I hate scale too! It's really nasty inside because the sticky sap starts leaking all over everything and falling to the floor and then the black soot kicks in.

To be honest not sure if you will ever totally eradicate it but I hope so. Personally I would treat every time you water as the neem won't hurt the tree at all. That's the only way I beat aphids in my grow room last winter, neem every time I watered for probably 2 weeks or so minimum. Not sure I ever did beat the scale but you can keep it in check.

I've tried all the other commercial soapy oil sprays but neem worked the best.

I just noticed a new kind of scale that also came in on one of my trees this season- blech! So now I have brown scale and black, how nice ;(.

Oh please...I hope I can eradicate it! I can't have it spreading to my other trees. I'm sorry about your other tree! I will keep spraying and hosing off. I'm also going to order ant traps. Those little buggers were all over the trunk.

I don't think u can completely get rid of it but u can certainly control it so it ceases to be a problem. I haven't seen any as yet this year but pretty sure there still is scales.

when outside i spray once a week with fish emulsion , soap mix . when I am prepping to bring in i change it up to neem oil n soap. inside pretty much every other day a weak soap solution n weekly with neem that keeps all the pests in check.

Really?? I find that very discouraging. How easily does it spread?

.I know Patty and John know of something, and there is one that I would use too, but I don't like to encourage chemicals even though I would use them) I can tell you that if you already have the problem, it would definitely kill them for good.

Ah, what the heck...

Malathion...............You have to wait a few days before harvest. Use up to seven days before harvest......

If you use oils. you have to use it continually hitting every 7 to 10 days depending on the scale for a month pr two...Some reproduce faster than others....If you post a pic of the particular scale you are dealing with Laura, here, I am sure Rhizo could help you. She's a pro at identifying and controlling. I would ask her for any help...

Laura, even better, start a new thread here saying something like....

"Rhizo or Jean, can you help me with this pest"?

Or you could post in at the Pest Forums. but let us know if you do so we can follow it)))

Hope this helps.

Mike

Yes, that helps Mike! I wish I had a picture, but I meticulously went through with a damp paper towel and wiped off everything I could find...even in the deep of the crevices. Luckily this is not a huge tree. It was brownish red scale. I thoroughly sprayed the tree down with neem yesterday and today went through and wiped what I missed yesterday. I do not like pesticides either, but I will use malathion in a pinch...I am practical and cannot have my other trees becoming infected...especially during winter. Let me see...I will spray with neem again in a few days...

I would not use Malathion or Sevin, or any of those broad spectrum insecticide; they kill all your beneficials. Scale is difficult to control as it is spread by birds, larger insects, and sometimes by ants. Outside, our scale is kept under control by wasps, most notably Brachonid wasp; without that, it gets out of control. We still use horticultural oil for local infestations; we also use manual removal.

Thanks John! How often can I spray neem without hurting the plant?

Ultra Pure Oil Spray seems to be the only thing that really works for me. I alternate with Dr. Bonner's Peppermint Oil Castille Soap and water sprays. I have to do regular sprayings of both to keep up with the scale though, especially when the plants are back in the greenhouse. Sometimes I think it is finally gone but then it always comes back. I probably bring it back into the greenhouse when I bring my plants back inside in the fall, even though I try very hard not to. Fortunately I haven't seen any scale all summer so far. I have also been spraying my outdoor bushes and hedges near my trees as I think I pick them up from them. It was hard to keep up regular spraying this summer as it has been so hot so I sprayed the trees with water at least to try to keep them clean of bugs.

Cory

My lady bugs are still around, I have been seeing usually one per plant dutifully going up and and down each branch. You could buy a pack of lady bugs too Laura! They love to eat scale. Might be fun for the kids too. They probably wouldn't get them all though.

That's a great idea Hobby. I am not sure I have enough for them to feast on now though...I scraped off every one I could find and the tree is covered with neem oil right now...shiny and pretty!!

Good job! I think the manual scraping is key as well as the babies are really tiny and soft. I just threw 3 really nice bay trees into the compost heap as they were my scale vectors last year in my grow room and there is no way I am risking my citrus this year. Only citrus in the room this year! No idea where my figs will go.

You might try using paper towel dampened with isopropyl alcohol next time you do a wipe down. Whatever you miss by physically removing or squishing, the alcohol will kill.

Thanks guys. Vladimir, I will try that maybe tonight. It is a great idea. Hobby, I did consider just tossing the tree...but it is so pretty and healthy otherwise. Here is a pic. I remember years ago I had scale on my orchids and I did manage to get rid of them. It took several sprayings and thorough scrubbing so, but it never came back. I am going to go at this tree like that. I do not want them to come inside with it bc it will become a bigger problem. I'm just annoyed because they came on those threes I got from One Green World. All three had scale. The other two look fine now. I also ordered ant traps to get rid of the ants.

Forgot the pic...I've got a lot going on today. I'm about to take the honey from my bees and my daughter is having her 7th bday party in a little while....

I wipe down each leaf and the stems with alcohol and soap before I spray too. Scale is so hard to get rid of. Even the imidiclopdrid drench and sprays did not work for me long term. Some trees and plants do seem to be scale magnets though and they usually seem to be the ones that are most beautiful or your favorites. Laura, I would not get rid of the tree, but I would probably try to keep it in a separate room from your other trees for a while if possible.

Cory

Sure looks like a pretty tree! I would keep it too but maybe move it away from the other ones in case the ants decide to start farming? Also I think those curled leaves are a sign of pest infestation when the leaves were young so it's a good sign the new leaves are normal.

Good luck I've got to kick my neem regimen up a notch now myself it's getting quite cool here already. Everyone may be going inside as early as next weekend- sigh!

I have to tackle my honey soon too! sounds like a very busy day :).

Laura- I have done the isopropyl wipe as well for my bayleaf . I sprayed directly on the leaves n stem n wiped them off . Pretty effective but laborious

Ok, so today I checked it for any leftover scales and saw none. Nevertheless, I sprayed it thoroughly - the mix, trunk, branches, and leaves - especially the undersides with a mix of fish emulsion and horticultural oil that I forgot I had. The tree is definitely shinny! I hope I have not hurt it, but the scale has to go. I'll leave it alone for a few days and check for ants. Once I receive the ant baits, I will put on in on the mix also. I forget what type of tree it is...some type of mandarin...wekiwa or something like that.

Dev, next treatment will be the alcohol! I am determined to be extremely thorough!

Do it consistently Laura, that the key..There are crawlers that you have to get before they turn into scale... I never have a problem with them, many do but as you can see, my favorite people here gave you such beautiful suggestions..Can always count on them)))

I doubt the fish emulsion does any good but it probably doesn't hurt. Make sure to spray under the leaves and all the way down the trunk right down to the soil.

Yep...agreed Vladimir, but I mixed it with horticultural oil and even a tiny bit of FP. I sprayed EVERYTHING!! It looked fine this morning,...very shiny ;-). I took a pic this morning of the cocktail grapefruit (that also had scale) because the leaves look so gorgeous with the shine...they are already shiny and huge and so green....I love the looks of that plant, even if it takes years to produce fruit!!

Hi, Mike! I heard my name being mentioned......

I would avoid the broad spectrum contact pesticides like Malathion, too. Chemicals like that are not very effective on scale insects while killing beneficials. It is also a cholinesterase inhibitor, making it a problem for us and other animals.

There is no reason to apply a horticultural oil any more frequently than what is recommended on the label. The products' effects last longer than just a couple of days. That includes neem oil.

What is important is how it's applied. The mist should be applied to all surfaces of the leaves and stems....oils cannot work unless it comes into contact with the scale insect or eggs.

That curling and wrinkling of the leaves would worry me. That's always an indication of a problem, so keep a watchful eye on the newer leaves.

Some people swear by the fish emulsion. It is simply serving the purpose of another horticultural oil, but don't forget that it is a fertilizer.

Lots of good advice in this thread!

Thanks Rhizo! I will leave it alone for a while and just watch. The new leaves are not wrinkled, so I hope it is making a turn in the right direction. Now I'm worried though...I applied it last evening...no sun. However, the leaves do have oil on them. If the sun hits them now, will they burn? Should I rinse them off?

If my tree did not have fruit, I'd use imidocloprid every 6 months. They do seem to like some trees more so than others. My bearss lime seem to always have a problem with scale. If your staying organic then I think your stuck with neem oil and wiping. Van

Have you heard of Mighty Wash by NPK Ind? It's organic and is supposed to be awesome on mites and the label states it kills many pests including scale.

In doing some research it seems to be extremely popular with cannabis growers.

Laua, I see no need to rinse the neem off.

Monica, does it say on the label what the active ingredient is?

Cory

ya I saw mightwash at a hydroponics store n owner said it's pretty effective contact pesticide .active ingredient is pyrethrin combined with oil .

Laura, I use Dawn detergent (the clear formula) on a toothbrush to scrub off scale on my fruit trees. A local nursery owner told me me to use Dawn instead of the pesticides. Dawn works! I don't rinse it off, but I would be careful in full sun, especially if I sprayed it on foliage. It has worked very well on cottony cushion scale which is rampant in central Florida and difficult to control.

Thanks so much you guys! Monica, I have never heard of that, but will try anything if my current treatment does not do the trick. I am glad that I don't have to rinse it off. The tree seemed fine today. Jade, I will perhaps try dawn if I have a particularly bad area. Do you also dilute it and spray? If so, what concentration do you use? I have neem and horticultural oil. I used the horticultural oil today to treat that cottony scale I found today on my ST. I will be very vigilant and go through and spray all my trees. I prefer to do it slowly, but thoroughly. I take a spray bottle and go through and soak everything. I do maybe 2 trees a night...I may need to ramp that up! At that rate, I may be at it for a while...lol!

F all else fails and you just want to save the tree then Bayers rose

systemic. Can't eat the fruit though.

jo

Laura, too, you could use Pro-teKt by Dyna-Gro mixed with Neem oil and warm water..Works like a charm for a few I have known here for years..3 treatments every three days apart....Kills them like no tomorrow)

Thanks Mike! I ordered that too for the scale and for general nutrition.

Mike, I thought Pro tekt was a silicone supplement, how can it be used for pest pest control, too?

Mike, I have been using the pro tekt with the fp....is it better to mix with neem? Do I even need to do that if I'm already using it with the fertilizer?

It is used as an Emulsifier..It helps break down the oil so it adheres better to the leaves..It helps the Neem stick to the surface of your leaves and smother any pests even further..Works like a charm..better than a soap while providing Silicone and other nutrients

Here's a bit of info for you))

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/dynagro-neem-instructions-73630.html

Yeah I also use Protekt sometimes with FPs , sometimes for foliar spray with Soap n Neem oil . There are so many of these different stuff , I mix n match .

I think its used as wetting agent + silicon supplement , I mix it with the KLN as well for transplants as well

Evan, that stuff sounds amazing! Mike, thanks for the explanation. You are such a wealth of knowledge! :)

Evan, they better pay you some sort of commission for that one..lol

Laura, sorry your new trees had a problem with scale! Ughh!! I am happy all the knowledgeable people on here gave you some great advice and solutions to the problem. How are the trees doing today??

Jinny, they look good. I've not seen scale OR ants...both a good sign. I did see one tiny scale on my thornless key lime, but it may have been dead already. Just to be sure, I will be out there in a couple of days spraying it down. It is too hot here today...about 30 mins ago the temp was 93 and felt like 100. Tomorrow it is going up to 90. I am going to wait till Sat when it should cool off to spray.

What did you end up treating with? Keep us posted! Nasty stuff, scales.

Atheen, I will treat again. It is an ongoing process. So far, so good. I ended up treating with a combination of neem and horticultural oil. I find that the horticultural oil easily dilutes in the water whereas the neem seems to clump a bit. I find that if I mix the two (I halve the concentration of each), the neem is distributed better in the solution. I sprayed all the branches, under the leaves, and also the top layer of mix. I will let you guys know how it works out.

Good luck Laura. You should have plenty of time to get rid of the scale before you bring the trees in:)))

That is good news Laura. Even though the trees themselves are nice, would you ever order from the same company again knowing they had scale when you received them? I have only ordered from Harris and Four Winds, and while I had a few pests on a few of my citrus upon delivery, it was easy to wash them off and not a major problem..