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The Cottony Cushion Scale is a scale worm that flow on over 65 family in the woody plant families , particularly Pittosporum andCitrus trees .
The scientific name of this blighter is Icerya Purchasi or Icerya Purchasi Maskell , and it belong to the family of Margarodidae .
These insectscale bugsare aboriginal to Australia .
This pest was described to begin with from the specimen gather in New Zealand in 1878 as Kangaroo Acacia ’s pests .
It threatened the southerly California citrus fruit manufacture for about ten year but now is detect in legion piece of the world .
In California , the unexampled control methods were used for this plate and then in the other parts of the United States , which resulted in the implementation of desegregate pestilence direction , let in biological ascendance .
What Is The Cottony Cushion Scale Pest?
These scale insect have a protective covering which resembles a cotton texture , hence its vulgar name .
The infestation are found seize to the stem and leaves of the plant .
There are four to five developmental biography stages of the cottony cushion scale .
These scales are about 0.39″ in long , with three couplet of black wooden leg , and black-market transmitting aerial .
The adult female and nymphs have mouthpart to go down on the contents directly from the cells of the industrial plant .
The Icerya Purchasi typically sucks the blackjack of the plant life , leaving the plants rickety .
The sap include a high amount of sugars and H2O , which is far more than what the dirt ball necessitate .
As a result , these crawlers egest all the supernumerary content on the plant . This liquidness is live as honeydew melon .
What Damage Does Cottony Scale Cause?
When the honeydew is go out on the works ’s aerofoil , the flowers and foliage form a sooty mold .
This bit by bit deform the leaves dark , stop the sun .
The higher the phone number of sear leaves , the ho-hum will be the industrial plant ’s growth .
The honeydew left behind by these mealybugs effect in untimely red and yellowing of farewell .
Heavy plague also destroy the young shoots of the plants .
How To Control The Pest Or Condition?
The best control of the Cottony Cushion Scale is through biological control .
Rodolia Cardinalis ( ladybird metal money ) , Vedalia Beetle , Cryptochaetum Iceryae , and other imported Australian ladybird beetle beetle are the master rude enemies of this scale .
Therefore , attempt conserve the mentioned enemies to forestall and control the plague , without the use of chemical substance .
The female and their egg are protected by the cottony grain , which protect it from the insecticides .
Therefore , conserve its born enemy is the good means of controlling the scale .
Be on a lookout for the Vedalia Beetle and its red eggs on top of the orchis pouch of the scale ; leave the beetle to treat with the job .
In case there are n’t any predators around , utilise horticultural oil to the hosts when they are in a DoS of quiescency .
Spray insecticides on the leafage of the plant when the female scales are dead and the testis hatch .
These young instar will soon spread rapidly if not controlled in a timely way .
Another path of controlling the crawlers when they are concoct is by placing dual - sided tape to trap them .
Encircle various branches and twigs near the egg with the unenviable tape and be indisputable to change the mag tape on a regular basis .
Do this weekly till the infestation is eliminated .
habituate the insecticides like Acephate or Organophosphates Malathion as a last resort since they are toxic to the scale ’ natural enemies as well .
Avoid using Imidacloprid as it poisons Vedalia Beetles after they feed on the scales .
Eliminating the raw predators of the Cottony Cushion Scale might conduct to a further outbreak of the scale .
