If you can stand it, remove and crush the beetles. They leave a trail for other beetles to visit so you should look in the same places for infestation. You could carry a container with soapy water and place them in that. I've found that the catbirds and other birds eat the beetles I've crushed and left on the ground. The beetles particularly like certain plants. If those plants are grown in afternoon sun, they will attract more beetles than those growing in a shady site in afternoon when beetles are the most active. Roses, azaleas, crape myrtle, Oenothera, Gaura and some Clematis attract them here.

Scale "bugs" feeds on the plant and then secrete a waste product called honeydew. You can google this and read about it. The ants come around to feed on the sweet, sticky honeydew. If you have a big infestation of scale and you walk under a large tree with it, it will "rain" down on you. Yuck. I generally physically remove as many creatures as I can. I try to prune off heavily infested branches, and keep the plant open and airy. I try to keep the plant as healthy as possible with compost and organic mulch, and pesticide and herbicide-free so beneficials including birds will come and help. I would put the scale that I removed and the pruned peices into a bag and discard. I probably would not compost this. Most plants can survive a moderate infestation, most plants are never entirely pest free. I agree horticultural oil acts by smothering the scale. Most folks feel these oils are fairly low toxicity. If you practice IPM you wouldn't really use them. Some folks make a homemade oil and water mixture. Not sure if this is less toxic, use olive oil? If you do use an oil, yes you should spray the undersides of the leaves where the scale hides. I think you would have to repeat after a time as the eggs hatch. I vote for enticing beneficials into the garden with organic practices and plant diversity. I think your Meyer will be OK. Laurie

looks like a katydid ;-) ... some sort of locust ?? ... not sure what the correct name is but we used to be fascinated with them as kids, finding their skeletons attached to trees every summer ...

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