Scale insects are often overlooked in indoor and outdoor gardens due to their small size and natural camouflage.
However, there are effective ways to get rid of scale on plants once and for all.
Jason Donnelly
What Are Scale Insects?
Credit:Jason Donnelly
Most types of scale are specialist feeders and they target specific plant species.
Fruit trees are often favored by scale, but these pests also attackhollies,camellias, and houseplants likecrotonsandmonsteras.
Compared to other bugs, scale dont move far and most species are stationary as adults.
Credit: Denny Schrock
Often, scale insects are confused with the natural bumps that appear on the stems of certain plants.
However, unlike natural plant bumps, scale can be easily scraped off plant leaves with your fingernails.
These predatory insects naturally feed on scale and they can make short work of these pests.
Another option is to treat affected plants with organic horticultural oil sprays.
Most of the time, scale invadehouseplant collectionsby hitching a ride onnew plants you bring home.
In outdoor gardens, scale insects can be kept at bay withcompanion planting.
Happy plants can naturally resist many plant diseases and pests, including scale.
Hard-bodied scale are particularly well armored, but even these pests are vulnerable to horticultural oil and rubbing alcohol.
Vinegar sprays can sometimes work on soft-bodied scale, but they arent effective against armored scale insects.
