Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/85706
chemical care Tipping the Scales BY CINDY RATCLIFF Experts weigh in on the best methods for disarming scale insects. future scales at bay. "Scale insects, far and away, are among the most diffi cult pests to control," says Joe Chamberlin, regional fi eld development manager for Valent Professional Products. Other chemistries are better at targeting only scales but can be slow to work. Your best bet, ac- cording to the experts, is to rely on a strategy that emphasizes prevention but relies on fast-working systemic products when outbreaks occur. W FACING THE SCALE Scale insects are divided into two broad groups: soft and armored scales. Each has a different feed- ing habit, but their most distinguishing feature is 50 TOTAL LANDSCAPE CARE / June 2012 hile there are many foliar chemical options that eliminate scale from plants, they also can rid benefi cial insects that would otherwise keep that one group wears a fl attened, plate-like cover. These are called armored scales. The other group, soft scales, is best known for excreting honeydew, a sweet, sticky liquid that can (annoyingly) drip on windshields and lawn furniture. While specifi c species are quite regional, scales, as a group, are common. Identifying them, how- ever, is not easy, especially for the novice, says Joseph Morse, professor of entomology, University of California – Riverside. He recommends scouting for honeydew to narrow the search and then tak- ing your fi ndings online, using extension websites specifi c to your area. Knowing which scale you're dealing with is important because its lifecycle will impact ideal treatment schedules. It is easier to kill off the younger generation of scale, which usually emerges in the spring, sometimes summer, Chamberlin says.