Post category: Mealy bugs and scale insects

 

Mealy bugs and scale insects, like greenflies, are sap-suckers. Mealy bugs are covered with white wax and are mainly pests of indoor plants, especially cacti and succulents. Scale insects resemble tiny shellfish in shape and colour. They affect indoor plants, especially citrus and other glossy evergreens, and outdoor plants, usually woody types, for example, beech, lime, japanese maple, lilac and bay laurel.

 

Chestnut scale on lime tree

 

Black sooty moulds grow on the honeydew excreted by both kinds, but especially scale insects. The blackened leaves of affected plants are located under higher leaves that have colonies of the pest.

The main control method indoors is to avoid introducing them on new plants. Otherwise, if there are only a few insects, brush them off with some methylated spirits on a cotton bud, or use systemic insecticides such as Hygeia Greenfly Spray.

Chestnut scale should be sprayed with a systemic insecticide such as Provado.