Extreme scale insect infestation: what would kill these buggers?!
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
last year
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last yearlinnea56 (zone 5b Chicago) thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5Related Discussions
Scale insects on hibiscus
Comments (11)Linnea, the most common method used to treat oyster shell scale insect is with rubbing alcohol which is applied in different ways. One is to use a Q-Tip, soaked in the alcohol and the bug is then touched. The alcohol eats through the hard shell and kills the bug. Each bug though must be touched to be effective. The other method is to treat the plant. In a quart spray bottle, put 20 oz water, one tablespoon of dishSOAP and 4 oz rubbing alcohol. This amounts to about a 2% solution. If you feel it might be too strong, double the amount of water/half the amount of the other. Take the plant out where you can spray indiscriminately and spray from top to bottom, bottom to top, ensuring all parts are covered. Wait ten minutes, then rinse wellw ith tepid water. Again, from top to bottom, bottom to top and let's not forget to treat the soil as well. That's where the children are. This method must be repeated 3 times in 20 days to break the cycle of the bug from egg, to larvae, to adult. Then constant vigil is needed. Another method is to use the dormant oil that is used outside in combo with lime sulfur. Most plant bugs can be treated with the soap and water without concern of damage as long as the soap is not left on the plant. Most bugs can be treated initially by simply hitting them with a stream of water....See MoreCan I kill scale with vegetable oil?
Comments (21)Yes, vegetable oil will kill scale. Any suffocant will. What is also important is how will it affect the plant? You don't want to kill it along with the scale. I use vegetable oil to kill scale mites on my chickens' legs and it's just as effective as any commercial product and more effective than many, because it's a suffocant and chickens won't be harmed with their legs covered in olive oil. LOL. Lice and mite powder doesn't work well for this because it can't get to where the mites hide. You do not need to treat scale in the crawler stage unless you are using a contact poison since their scale covering stops the poison from being absorbed into the body and that's why soaps do not treat them well either and why oils can work when soaps can't. There are some commercial horticultural oils with a vegetable oil base btw. That doesn't mean your plant won't be harmed by a do it yourself vegetable oil treatment. Some plants do not tolerate oils. Period. That's why they have labels on pesticides to guide you which plants will or won't tolerate a product (among other things). Don't even get me started on do-it-yourself soap sprays. Insecticidal soap is as cheap as dish soap. It's been tested on various plants for safety and efficacy too and if you follow the label, will be the proper dilution to make any phytotoxicity minimal. That and a summer weight oil should be in your arsenal if you garden and it may be all you will ever need. I have made some tidy profits replacing plants people have killed with their homemade concoctions. All of these household products contain additional ingredients like perfumes, preservatives that horticultural products don't ordinarily contain....See MoreScale Insects in Live Oaks
Comments (4)My live oak almost died this winter thanks to a massive infestation with scale. They are nasty little buggers. I used the Sick Tree Treatment that I purchased at Green Mama's, aerated the soil with a long screwdriver then dumped a huge bag of compost along the drip line (mind you the tree is only four years old.) Then I sprayed with horticultural oil on Monday and again on the following Monday. Two weeks later I just had to barely brush the scale buggers and they fall off dead and crusty. ;) It works great!!! Have fun! Christina...See Morescale insect and aphid problems!!! HELP!!!
Comments (9)Adult scale particularly pink scale are almost impossible to kill because their waxy coating prevents the white oil from penetrating. What you have to do is break the breeding cycle by spraying every 2-3 weeks to kill the emerging baby scale insects before they form the protective wax coating. The adult scale dies once it has bred and sporned its young so it is the young scale you target ie 2-3 weeks and after there are no signs of more young you keep spraying for at least another 3 week cycle to ensure you have got them all. One surviving scale insect will re-infest the plant. At the same time as spraying for scale kill the ants present as it is the ants which farm the scale for the sticky secretion exuded by the scale. Black sooty mold is another sign of scale as it is the secretion that causes sooty mold. The white oil will also kill the mold. A good alternative to control sooty mold is a tablespoon of LUX laundry flakes dissolved in half a bucket of hot water and then diluted down to make 20 litres of spray. Don't use more flakes than stated, it is unnecessary besides too much soap on your plants is not good for them. Lux beats detergent and cooking oil mixtures hands down and it will also control SOME of the soft scales and you don't need a space suit to spray it. If you use a lot of white oil try your local Ampol/Caltex bulk fuel depot for "Ampol DC-Tron Plus". A 20 litre drum here in Brisbane is about $80. DC Tron Plus is the same product as one of the major fertiliser suppliers sold in nurseries for about $15 for 500ml. The nursery branded product is bought from Ampol and repackaged under their own brand. Doug. Doug....See Morelinnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
last yearFran Sacco
last yearfloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
last yearhc mcdole
last yearken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last yearlinnea56 (zone 5b Chicago) thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
last year
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