Soft Brown Scale Insect - Coccus hesperidumBuilding off of last week, it seems there’s a

Soft Brown Scale Insect - Coccus hesperidumBuilding off of last week, it seems there’s a theme of small insects that like to hide safely among the plants as they feed and enjoy the day. This time, we cover a troop of insects that have endured through the winter by concealing themselves in one of our house plants. Since winter is too harsh from the rubber plants to survive outside, they are brought indoors until temperatures go up again. That’s all well and good, but the last few years have brought a share of pests inside too! Over the last few years, it was Whiteflies that snuck in and ruined a few smaller plants, while the rubber plants endured. This year, honeydew secretions were found staining the leaves, a sign of infestation, but no Whiteflies or similar insects. Looking a little closer, the tiny culprits were found! It may be hard to believe, but the oval patches on the leaves are insects. Yes, really. They’re a bit unconventional, but underneath that scale-like covering, there is the body of an insect, albeit some body parts like the legs or antennae are smaller than usual. With that in mind, hopefully you have an overall impression of their size compared to my thumb. Scale Insects as they’re called have a waxy shell that hide the true insect underneath. The Soft Brown Scale can be identified by the brown patterns on the shell, but the best way start identifying a Scale is to determine the plant they feed on. Like Whiteflies and Aphids, they are parasites that spend their lives feeding on plant fluids, excreting honeydew and siring many young scales to continue the infestation. Some mother Scales are so dedicated that they anchor themselves to a spot on the plant and shield their young with their own body until they are old enough to manage on their own. Males tend to be more mobile with use of wings, but it varies from specie to specie. Though small, unlike Aphids and Whiteflies, their shells protect them from predators, allowing them to aggregate much easier, leading to great concern for their host plant! At first, the honeydew they make is bound to attract Ants to help guard the Scales, giving them the chance to increase their numbers further. Eventually (in similar ways to Whiteflies), the honeydew left behind on the leaves can become a prime target for mould to strike the plant and weaken it. Meanwhile, the Scale hoard grows and they keep feeding! Fortunately, managing Scales is simple, but you’ll need a keen eye to find them. Remember to check in the grooves between leaves, the undersides and even on the plant’s stem or bark. Look for anything that looks like a growth or a bump that looks out of place. Finally, remember to clean the honeydew off all the leaves you can. Pictures were taken on March 28, 2022 with a Google Pixel 4. -- source link
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