Notes on Hydrating Edible Mushrooms and the Great Enemy of Greenhouse Flowers, the Brown Soft Scale

Scale insects commonly infest greenhouse flowers, and the most serious among them is the brown soft scale. The brown soft scale can harm many herbaceous and woody flowers, including Milan (Aglaia odorata), finger citron (Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis), Monstera deliciosa, spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum), and Schefflera octophylla. They cluster on leaf surfaces and branch tips to suck sap, while excreting large amounts of sticky fluid that induces sooty mold, seriously affecting flower growth and ornamental value. This insect reproduces 4 to 5 generations per year and can occur year-round in greenhouses.

Adult: oval or elongated oval, flat or slightly raised, 3 mm to 4 mm long, 2.8 mm to 3.4 mm wide, yellow-brown to brown. Nymphs are small, pale yellow, and relatively soft.

Control methods:

1. Manual removal: when there are few insects, gently wipe them off or pick them off with a soft cloth or a matchstick.

2. Pesticide: spray 3% diesel emulsion. Check after 10 days; if the insect shells are lifted at the edges and fall off at a touch, it means the insects are dead.

3. Soil-applied pesticide: for a pot with an inner rim diameter of 15 cm, use 2 g to 3 g of pesticide, and add 2 g for each additional 5 cm. Bury 3% carbofuran granules in the potting soil, after which all routine care proceeds normally. This method can ensure that no new insects appear for a relatively long period.