Hi, Cindy. I'm glad to see you posted your question here on the forum. I couldn't reply to your inquiry because of how you have your settings on your member profile page. So sorry. If you want others to be able to reply to you, you need to change your settings so other members can reply to you and see your email addy, or include your addy when you ask for info from other members. The infestation is more noticeable at the top because the plant is apically dominant, so most of the nutrients and carbohydrates will be concentrated primarily at the top of the plant and at branch tips, and it follows, that is also where you'll find most of the pests concentrating. Insecticidal soap will kill crawlers, but crawlers are born live under the protection of the female and attach soon after they strike out in search of a feeding/attachment site. At that point, treatments which act topically are greatly reduced in effectiveness. Neem applications at 2 week intervals, all-season horticultural oil, and systemics designated as effective against scale are probably your best weapons. You can help to keep populations in check with the Q-tip/alcohol spritz regimen, but you'll probably never eradicate the offending population w/o using something designated as appropriate for combating scale. Fortunately some treatments eradicate effectively, used as directed, so if you can keep them in check until early summer you'll be in good shape. Don't cut back hard in your zone until well into June, and don't defoliate until early July, and only if the plant is in excellent health. Partially defoliating the strongest parts of the tree can be a very effective tool for ensuring the weaker branches get their fair share of energy, which prevents the tree from shedding them and helps to keep the tree looking sharp. Al

we know them as mealy bugs and over here if we get them on our plants we look for ants as they have a symbiotic relationship. also our treatment is after dealing with the ants we use a product called "white oil" it is a product of the petro-chemical inustry what i think you call dormant oil? there is a homemade recipe on our remedies page. the oil should be applied after the heat of the sun and may need subsequent doses of up to 2 extra applications at say weekly intervels. if they are in shrubs an applicatin of vaseline (anoterh petro chemical product) or some such gel product around the stem will stop the ants crawling up the bush, be sure that the foliage does not make contact with any other avenue that the ant may use. scale insect is treated the same way it looks more like hard little pimples on the branches and backs of leaves. len Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

Hold on, there! ;-) Just remember that horticultural/food grade DE acts as a broad spectrum pesticide. I'd not use it widely outside, where it can come into physical contact with the zillions of beneficial insects that help keep our world in a bit of ecological balance. It must not be applied to plants that are visited by bees and other pollinators, for example. And DE is just as harmful to ladybugs and predatory insects as it is to aphids. The many uses of DE is not a secret and certainly not a well-kept one. It's been used for generations to protect livestock (all kinds, including poultry) from pests and parasites and has been used in agriculture to protect stored grains, flours, nuts, etc. If you eat bread, cereal, peanut butter or anything related, you are likely ingesting DE. It's fed to animals to get rid of internal parasites, and when excreted will still keep the flies (etc.) from mass producing in the dung. It can be found in most 'feed and seed' stores. It's really not the most effective product to deal with most outdoor pest problems as it DOES wash readily away in rain or irrigation, soap or no soap. Though it doesn't dissolve, it loses some physical properties when wet. Be very certain, if you do decide to experiment with DE, that you are NOT using the pool grade product. It is processed in a different manner. Not only is Pool filter DE not effective, but a serious lung hazard as it contains high amounts of crystalline silica. This is what causes silicosis. You must take precautions about inhaling food/horticultural grades of DE, as well. Once settled, it's fine. Best uses? Inside the basement and garage where undesirable critters can lurk in dark nooks and crannies, and in hard to reach locations behind appliances (for example) where pests may hide and reproduce.

Hi John. We have access to good citrus too BUT, you have to be willing to pay good money for them. For instance, I had never seen cocktail grapefruits locally. I found them at a Wegmans about 40 minutes from my house. We have a closer Wegmans, they just don't carry them. Last year or the year before, they were selling one of my top favorite citrus fruits, Minneola Tangelo. They were 4/$5! Yes, the fruits looked really nice bur cmon! Was the peel dipped in 14k GOLD! The cocktail grapefruits were the same, and the large navel oranges(also a top fav of mine) were $1 each and they were in SEASON!! I also got hooked on Meyer lemons. I could drink Meyer lemonade year round but here in western NY, they also sell for a premium. I was buying bags of them for $5 and there was maybe 5 or 6 small to medium fruits per bag. I forgot to mention they were organic, so this must have also jacked up the price. John I think growing your one citrus is the way to go. I now have 5 lemon trees(3 Meyer lemon, 1 each of Pink variegated and Ponderosa), an Oro Blanco and a Star Ruby, and a Kishu Mandarin that probably won't make it. I am hoping I can replace it this year! Lastly, is the new Tango mandarin I just bought a couple weeks ago. I have extremely high hopes for this tree, considering it is 3 1/2ft tall all ready, I should have fruits by next spring :) Andrew