Common crops affected
- Tree fruit
- Citrus
- Vines
- Ornamentals
What is it?
Scales are sap-feeding insects that, once settled, form a protective waxy or armoured cover. The mobile first-instar crawler stage is the window when contact control is effective; settled adults are shielded by their cover.
How to identify it
- Bumps, shells or cottony covers on stems, leaf undersides and fruit.
- Sticky honeydew and black sooty mould on foliage and fruit (soft scales).
- Yellowing, leaf drop, branch dieback and reduced vigour in heavy infestations.
- Tiny moving crawlers on bark and leaves shortly after egg hatch.
Life cycle & spread
Eggs hatch into mobile crawlers that settle and develop a protective cover; one to several generations per year depending on species and climate.
Conditions that favour it
Warm conditions, dusty/stressed plants, and ant activity (ants tend soft scales for honeydew and deter natural enemies) favour build-up.
Damage and how it spreads
Sap feeding weakens plants and reduces yield and fruit quality; honeydew and sooty mould foul fruit and foliage and cut photosynthesis. Heavy infestations cause dieback.
Monitoring & scouting
Use the crawler stage to time treatments (degree-day models, sticky tape on branches, or hand-lens scouting); inspect bark and leaf undersides.
How to control it
- Target the crawler stage with thorough coverage;
- prune out heavily infested wood;
- manage ants;
- conserve natural enemies between treatments.
Recommended Vegalab solution: Spider Mite Control
Spider Mite Control — all-natural contact product (geraniol with peppermint, cottonseed and rosemary oils) timed to crawler emergence, with thorough coverage of stems, leaf undersides and fruit.
| Role | Product | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Primary control | Spider Mite Control |
Preventing it next season
Monitor for crawlers, prune infested material, manage ants and dust, and treat early before protective covers form.
Claims and product availability vary by jurisdiction. Always read and follow the product label.