How do you treat a white peach scale?

Oil sprays are most effective against the immature insect pests. Biological control can also be effective for white peach scale treatment in backyard trees and small home orchards. Predator bugs which prey on white peach scale insects include ladybird beetles, lacewings and parasitic wasps.

What is white peach scale?

White peach scale is an armored scale insect that is a serious pest of fruit and ornamental trees. Female scale have a round, white body with an orange to yellow central hue that gives them a “fried egg” appearance. Male scale are solid white and are more elongated. Clusters of male scale give bark a fluffy appearance.

How do I get rid of white scale?

To get rid of scale insects prune and dispose of infested branches, twigs and leaves. When scale numbers are low they may be rubbed or picked off of plants by hand. Dabbing individual pests with an alcohol-soaked cotton swab or neem-based leaf shine will also work when infestations are light.

What does peach scale look like?

Like most armored scales white peach scales are sexually dimorphic. The females are waxy bumps on twigs but the males grow wings and look like an actual insect. The males emerge from ‘pupal cases’ (not technically pupae). Twigs become covered with the fluffy white pupal cases.

How do you get rid of scales on peach trees?

If you have scales on your trees, you can spray them with a horticultural oil. This will smother scales and also mites and other soft-bodied insects. Horticultural oil is approved for organic production and is used by both organic and conventional growers.

How is white Prunicola scale treated?

Get a Tree Service to Spray your Trees & Shrubs Timing is everything. Spray this pest in May, June, and August with a labeled insecticide. During the dormant season, have the tree spraying service apply horticultural oil to try to smother some of the overwintering adults.

How do you treat white scale on plants?

Oil sprays suffocate small insects such as Scale Insects. After the insects have died, you can hose them off as well as any sooty mould they may have promoted. To control scale on citrus and ornamental plants, including roses, spray with Yates Scale Gun.

What does white scale look like on plants?

Scale almost always appears in clusters. Unlike other insects, they are immobile once they lock themselves into place to pierce the plant and begin feeding on sap. If you see clusters of tiny shell-like bumps on the stems or leaves of a plant, there is a good chance you are looking at a scale.

How do you treat scales on peach trees?

What do you spray on tree scales?

The safest effective way to control scale is with a horticultural oil spray. These insecticides contain oil in a form that will mix with water. When mixed and sprayed onto an infested plant, the oil coats the scale insects and clogs their breathing pores.

What does scale on fruit trees look like?

Scales often look like small warts or outgrowths of plants themselves. That lump is a living scale mother, sucking sap from your plant and laying eggs beneath herself, well hidden from view. Scale insects can be serious pests for fruit and nut trees, currants, grapes, and raspberries.

What is the white scale?

: any of various white or pale scales: such as. a : an oleander scale (Aspidiotus hederae) b : cottony-cushion scale.

Where can I find the white peach scale?

White peach scale is found not only in the United States, but is known throughout the world. In other areas it is known by a variety of common names including white scale and West Indian peach scale. In Bermuda, this pest is known as oleander scale because of the massive damage it caused to oleander plants in 1920.

How many molts does a white peach have?

Female white peach scales will undergo two molts before reaching sexual maturity as adults. Males will undergo five molts before reaching adulthood. Once mature, however, the males will live for only one day. To facilitate the mating process, females will release sex pheromone timed to the eclosion of the males.

When to apply oil to white peach scale?

Control of white peach scale is made difficult due to the heavy armor which protects these bugs. The best time to apply oil is early spring when the first generation hatches and begins migrating. Monitoring this crawler stage can be accomplished by wrapping infested limbs with double-sided or electrical tape (sticky side out).

What kind of bugs eat white peach scale?

In Florida, several predators feed on white peach scale. Primarily, these species are ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Coccindellidae), and common lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Some gall midges, (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) also attack white peach scale.