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This month on Karcsi’s Korner: Understanding and Controlling Scale Insects 🌱🐛 Widely considered one of the more ancient insect species, scale insects only began to significantly impact the United States as a pest in the mid-1990s. Controlling this pest has been challenging for homeowners and green industry professionals due to its six-stage life cycle and natural defenses. Scale insects are protected from many common control methods by their armored shells and natural camouflage. Scale insects commonly infest Crape Myrtles, Wintercreeper Euonymus, Elms, and Oak Trees, though they can target many other plants. Soft scale presence is often detected through signs of activity like yellowing leaves, limb die-back, and sticky honeydew, which promotes Sooty Mold. Armored scales are harder to detect since they don’t produce honeydew, but they leave stippling on leaf tissue, similar to aphids and whiteflies. Control of scale insects requires a multifaceted approach, as no single method is effective against all life stages. Here are some key strategies: Dormant Horticultural Oil: Apply during the egg phase to suffocate overwintering eggs and disrupt pest populations like aphids and mites. Systemic Insecticide Drench: Apply to the soil in late winter. As transpiration resumes, the plant absorbs the insecticide, disrupting the scale’s feeding process during the middle to late stages of its life cycle. Crawler Stage Monitoring: During the 1st instar or "Crawler Stage," scales are unprotected and susceptible to contact control methods. Use double-sided tape on plants to detect crawlers. If crawlers are found, apply treatments promptly. Timing these control methods appropriately can dramatically improve your chances against scale and other destructive insects. For a consultation or to discuss ways to protect your landscape, contact us at (405) 285-7275 or visit our website. https://lnkd.in/gWUjaM7n Swain Stott Plant Healthcare Production Manager

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Melissa Zerbe

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