How to Get Rid of Scale on Houseplants?

What Do Scale Insects Look Like?

Scale insects are a common type of sap-sucking pest, named because their appearance resembles the sole of a straw sandal. Their appearance varies greatly between life stages:

Adult Female

• Body flat and oval, about 8-10 mm long
• The back has transverse wrinkles, resembling the tread of a straw sandal
• Color ranges from grayish-brown to dark brown
• Wingless. Cannot fly
• The body is covered with a layer of waxy secretion for protection — this wax shell makes it difficult for ordinary pesticides to penetrate. You need a silicone surfactant additive or a highly penetrative insecticide to be effective

Adult Male

• Much smaller than the female
• Has one pair of transparent wings and can fly
• Does not feed. Very short lifespan. Dies after mating
• Rarely seen

Nymphs (Newly Hatched)

• Very small when first hatched (about 1 mm), reddish or grayish-brown
• No protective wax shell at this stage — this is the best time for spray treatment
• Crawl in groups to branches and leaves to feed

Egg Sacs

• Females produce white, cottony egg sacs
• Each sac contains dozens to over a hundred eggs
• Egg sacs are attached to tree trunks, branches, or wall crevices to overwinter