What are the methods for controlling scale insects on plants?
Scale insects are a pest that gives many flower growers a real headache. Because the adult scale insect's shield is waxy, it can be said to be impervious to all poisons. Some growers, when treating scale insects, end up killing their own flowers or succulents instead, and in quite a few cases the scale insects are still there. So scale insect control should be done early rather than late. Some netizens have also summed up the key rules for controlling scale insects: early rather than late, ruthless rather than soft, toss aside misleading folk remedies, pick up the pesticide and spray at once. The editor will now give you a detailed introduction to five specific methods of scale insect control, so your plants can be free from the trouble of scale insects.
Scale insects
1. When soaking pots, do not share the basin water
When soaking pots other than at repotting time, do not let flowers and plants share the same basin water, especially plants with poor growth but no obvious external cause of disease; do not share basin water with other plants.
2. Isolate and observe new flowers and plants, and add saucers
For outdoor growing, new flowers and plants must be isolated and observed for more than two weeks, and saucers must be added, because root mealybugs will crawl out of the drainage holes and travel a thousand miles to meet their beloved plants, especially succulents.
3. Do a good job of killing nymphs in winter and at Awakening of Insects
During the winter dormancy period of flowers, eggs and nymphs are also resting. At this time scale insects are at their most vulnerable, because their invulnerable divine gear has not yet been equipped, so control at this time achieves twice the result with half the effort. Low-toxicity lime sulfur mixture can kill them and also kill the eggs; omethoate also works, sprayed and also used as a root drench. Be careful to choose clear, warm weather to avoid freezing damage to the plants. The Awakening of Insects period is the occurrence period of nymphs after overwintering; spraying omethoate at this time can also achieve twice the result with half the effort, and likewise be careful to do the work in clear, warm weather (all the above preventive treatments should be sprayed once every 7-10 days, 2-3 times in a row; especially pay attention if the flowers and plants had scale insect damage that year). From May to June is the mixed outbreak period of adults and nymphs; omethoate is fine, and if there are many adults you can directly use methidathion.
Scale insects
4. Eliminate ants
Ants are the close comrades-in-arms of scale insects; they herd scale insects like sheep. Therefore, once ants are found on home potted flowers, immediately scatter ant-killing powder and similar drugs around the ant nest within a range of 3-5 m, scattering several piles, and the effect is remarkable.
5. Eliminate adults
Once adults appear, things get a bit trickier. Dip a cotton swab in alcohol, or in anything sticky that does not harm the flowers and plants, and peel off and kill the scale insects visible to the naked eye. The cottony cushion scale has good jumping ability, but it is very easy to spot; when you see piles of white fluff, that is where the cottony cushion scale is hiding, so just put on gloves and pinch them, and you must be ruthless. After the adults have been dealt with more or less, the next job is killing the roots. You can use methidathion (Supracide), or scale-killing pesticides that are easy to buy, and so on. In fact, methidathion can wipe out adults and nymphs in one go, so lazy friends can skip the hand-picking process and directly spray methidathion. (Attached brief introduction to methidathion: it has the world's unique professional penetrant, with extremely strong penetrating power, can penetrate the scale shell and wax layer, has outstanding control efficacy against scale insects especially armored scales, and can penetrate leaves to kill insects on the underside of leaves, with a residual effect lasting more than 30 days.
For root mealybugs, besides spraying, there is one extra step, which is a root drench. The dilution of methidathion is slightly higher than when spraying (for example, if you spray at 1:800, then for the drench use 1:1200, about that is fine). The drench volume should be based on the amount you would use when watering thoroughly as usual. Remember to be sure to add a saucer to the flower pot, let the medicinal water that seeps out into the tray remain for 1-2 hours, and then pour it away.
When using methidathion, generally apply it once every half a month to 20 days, at least 2 times in a row. So far, the pest infestations I have encountered were wiped out with 1 application, and the second was purely preventive. In midsummer, do not spray or drench at noon. Also, a reminder that methidathion has a strong odor, so it must be used outdoors, and households with pregnant women and children should avoid using it.
Although scale insects are a headache, prevention is more important than treatment. As long as you do the prevention work well, the annoying scale insects will not find you, and you will not have to worry about how to treat them.
Methods for controlling scale insects on plants
Scale insects gather on branches, leaves and fruits, piercing and sucking sap. Besides causing branches and leaves to wither and die from the pest damage, they can also induce sooty mold. Ordinary pesticides find it difficult to penetrate the waxy layer of scale insects, and in addition the period for effectively controlling nymphs is relatively short, so it is easy to miss the control opportunity, making control quite difficult. Therefore, if scale insect damage occurring on landscape plants is not controlled in time, it will greatly affect the ornamental value of the landscape plants.
In recent years, using 40% Rongjie emulsifiable concentrate (also known as 40% methidathion) to control various scale insects on landscape plants has shown obvious control efficacy. It has good stomach-poison, contact-killing and penetrating effects, can dissolve the waxy layer of scale insects, can penetrate into plant tissues, and has a residual effect of up to 30 days. Generally, 30 days after application, the control efficacy can still reach more than 85%. It can also simultaneously control whiteflies, aphids and other piercing-sucking pests harmful to landscape flowers and trees. The specific method of use is at the peak hatching period of the first-generation nymphs, spray with 40% Rongjie emulsifiable concentrate at 1500 to 2000 times dilution. In winter or early spring, spray 3 to 5 degrees Baume lime sulfur mixture for garden clearing, to eliminate the eggs laid by overwintering scale insects. At the peak occurrence period of adult scale insects, spray with 40% Rongjie emulsifiable concentrate at 800 to 1000 times dilution plus 20 ml of Jiexiaoli. Be sure to note: do not mix with alkaline pesticides; for ornamental flowers and trees avoid use during the flowering period; in high-temperature seasons, for sensitive plants you must test first before applying; for spraying, before 9 a.m. and after 6 p.m. is best; when spraying, strive to spray the trunk, leaves and branches thoroughly, with droplets of water as the ideal.
When scale insects have poor self-spreading ability and low population density, you can use a brush dipped in pesticide to directly apply it on the infested branches. During the dormant period, apply 95% machine oil emulsifiable concentrate at 30 to 50 times dilution, 45% crystalline lime sulfur mixture at 50 times dilution, etc. You can also first scrape off the stem epidermis and then apply the pesticide. At 50 cm above the ground, scrape off a ring of epidermis, with a ring width of about 10 cm and a depth slightly reaching the phloem, then use a sharp knife to make several vertical cuts deep to the xylem, and then brush the pesticide on the scraped area. The pesticides applied include omethoate, imidacloprid, etc., using 1.5 ml to 2 ml of 10 to 20 times diluted solution per cm of breast-height diameter. But pay attention to the type of flowers and trees to ensure safe application.
You can also bury pesticide in the root zone. The specific method is to dig radial trenches or arc-shaped trenches around the plant where there are the most fine roots, or dig a ring trench along the outer edge of the vertical projection of the crown. In the trench apply 15% aldicarb, using 5 g per cm of breast-height diameter; for shrubs use 5 g per cm of crown cluster diameter; for flowers and trees in patches, open trenches between plants and rows and apply 4 kg per mu. After scale insect nymphs hatch, they first gather to feed, and after crawling for a while they become fixed and cause damage. Generally after being fixed for 3 to 7 days they can form a scale shell. In the few days after the scale shell forms, the body wall is weak, and this is the key period for pesticide control. You can choose chemical pesticides such as 1.8% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution, 2.5% deltamethrin at 2500 to 3000 times dilution, or 50% fenitrothion or 50% malathion at 1000 times dilution, etc.; spraying gives the best effect.
In addition, attention should also be paid during transport: if scale insects are found on nursery stock, they must be thoroughly removed to prevent bringing them into the nursery or planting area. When transplanting nursery stock, plant as sparsely as possible, and use natural enemies such as chalcid wasps and ladybeetles to control population density. Scale insects prefer shade and humidity. After pruning flowers and trees in winter, ventilation and light penetration are good and humidity is reduced, which can control the reproduction of scale insects. If pruning is not possible and the damaged trees have an obvious leaf-shedding dormant period, you can try spraying diesel oil liquid in winter. Diesel oil can directly destroy the waxy shell of scale insects and kill them. In addition, whitewashing the branches and trunk in winter is also a simple and effective measure for controlling scale insects.
How to control scale insects on succulents, methods for controlling scale insects on succulents
Scale insects are the most common pest, often gathering on branches, leaves and fruits, sucking plant sap to live, and in severe cases causing branches to wither or the whole plant to die. Today the editor will tell you how to control scale insects on succulents, and the methods for controlling scale insects on succulents.
How to control scale insects on succulents
Strengthen plant quarantine: under natural conditions, scale insects have low mobility, their own spreading ability is limited, and their distribution has certain limitations. But with the development of production, the exchange and transport of flowers is frequent, and the opportunities for human-caused and long-distance spread of pests and diseases are increasing day by day. Quarantine work stipulates that flowers may be transported only if they do not carry dangerous pests and diseases (including all kinds of propagation materials). If pests and diseases are found, various effective measures should be taken to eliminate them and prevent further spread.
Manual control
In the process of cultivating flowers, if scale insects are found on individual branches or leaves, you can gently brush them off with a soft brush, or combine this with pruning by cutting off the infested branches and leaves. It is required to brush them clean, cut them clean, and burn them in a concentrated way; never throw them around casually.
Methods for controlling scale insects on succulents
1. Garlic
Mash 2 garlic bulbs, add 2 kg of water, soak for half a day, and after it clears, spray the damaged parts once every three or four days, three times in a row, and you can kill all spider mites, scale insects, etc. This method can not only kill pests but also inhibit the reproduction and spread of pathogens.
To treat powdery mildew and black spot on roses, take 30 g of garlic, mash it, add 500 g of water, stir well and filter, take the filtrate and spray the leaf surface once a day, spraying 3-4 times in a row; you can also use a brush or toothbrush to apply the garlic liquid directly on it. Crushing garlic and scattering it in the pot soil can also kill earthworms, ants and nematodes.
2. Cigarette butts
Take thirty cigarette butts, add 500 g of water and soak for a day and a night, filter, add a little soap liquid, and spray on the damaged parts once a day, 3-5 times is enough; this can kill aphids and scale insect nymphs.
3. Essential balm
Dilute essential balm 600-800 times, and spray the diluted liquid on diseased plants several times; it can kill aphids, spider mites, scale insects and whiteflies.
4. Sichuan pepper
Take 50 g of Sichuan pepper, add 500 g of water and heat in a pot until it boils, simmering into about 500 g of medicinal liquid. This liquid can control whiteflies, aphids and scale insects, etc. When applying, add water to dilute 6-7 times and spray once every 3-4 days.
5. Baking soda solution
Take 5 g of baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate), first dissolve it with a small amount of alcohol, then add about 1000 g of water to make a solution with 0.5% concentration, and spray the plants; it can control powdery mildew.
6. Plant ash
Take 50 g of plant ash, add 2500 g of water and stir thoroughly, soak for 48 hours and then filter, then add 3 g of laundry detergent to the filtrate and stir thoroughly before use. This liquid can control piercing-sucking and leaf-eating pests such as aphids, spider mites, whiteflies and scale insects, and when poured into the soil it can prevent maggots. When using, spray once a day for three days in a row, then after seven days spray again for three days in a row, and you can eliminate the second-generation pests.
The above is what this article introduces about how to control scale insects on succulents and some information on methods for controlling scale insects on succulents. Thank you all for reading and your support.