What You Need to Know About Fall Scale Control
As homeowners prepare to spend more time indoors over the fall and winter months, many spend time sprucing it up. From festive fall and holiday decorations to indoor houseplants, there are plenty of ways to add more energy to a home. Unfortunately, adding houseplants to a home also opens the door to certain pests known as scale insects. We’ve outlined the most essential things you need to know about fall scale control below.
What is Scale?
At first glance, you may not notice that you have an insect problem. Scale insects have a bump similar to a shell that many mistake for a plant disease. These insects feed off of the sap found in outdoor and house plants and are commonly found on stems, branches, and leaves. Oftentimes the infestation of scale insects goes unnoticed until the plant starts to show signs of damage. If you notice yellowed leaves or a slowdown in growth, scale can be the culprit.
How to Identify Insects
With more than 1,000 species of scale insects, it can be challenging to identify which ones have made a home on your plants but ignoring them will eventually lead to plant death. There are two primary scale insect categories to look for.
- Hard: Also referred to as armored, this type doesn’t move around the plant. Instead, they stay in one location and deploy a hard covering over themselves, similar to a helmet for protection.
- Soft: Soft scale insects vary in shape from flat to round and can move short distances, but typically don’t. You may notice a waxy film stemming from the insect, which is part of its body. They also produce a sticky liquid known as honeydew.
Fall Scale Control Steps
Since scale insects secure themselves to the plant, it can be tricky to treat and get rid of them. The best time to attack is just after they hatch and are in the crawler stage. However, there are steps you can take:
- Prune leaves and branches that have scale insects on them.
- If there are only a few, remove the insects by hand or dab them with a cotton ball soaked in alcohol.
- Buy and release ladybugs, which are a natural predator.
- Apply organic pesticides like insecticidal soap or horticultural oils to suffocate the insects and prevent them from reproducing.
- Other options include pesticides that contain azadirachtin, which will kill the insect in all life stages.
- Synthetic chemical pesticides can also be used to kill the insects. However, these are harmful to honeybees and other pollinating insects.
Stop struggling with backyard pests like scale insects! Contact Perennial Lawn Care to learn more about pest treatment options in New Jersey.
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