Scale Insect Control in Your Garden

Hemiptera : Coccoidea

There are hundreds of species of insects across several families of the superfamily Coccoidea that are known as Scale Insects. They are all sap-sucking insects. The most common types that occur in home gardens are several species of Hard Scales in the family Diaspididae, 和 several species of Soft Scales of the family Coccidae. Cottony Cushion Scale (Icerya purchasi) of the family Monophlebidae, 和 Gumtree Scale (Eriococcus coriaceus) of the family Eriococcidae are also quite common.

Hard Scales produce a separate waxy cover under which the insect feeds, but do not produce honeydew. Soft Scales 和 Cottony Cushion Scales don’t have a separate covering like hard scales, but the upper surface of their bodies is toughened with protective mealy secretions. Soft Scales 和 Cottony Cushion Scales also produce vast amounts of honeydew. Gumtree Scales are a bit different in that females encase themselves in a globular sac, 和 they too produce honeydew.

<无花果ure> Image above: Cottony Cushion Scale (Icerya purchasi) on citrus

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