Scale

I have a morning routine that includes making the bed, drinking my coffee, feeding my pets, and then walking around the yard and looking at all of my plants. As many of you know, I'm a big fan of gardening. I was just starting my walk around the yard this morning when I noticed scale on my maple tree! For those of you who aren't familiar with scale, here's what they look like (the black-and-white bumps on the branch): 

Overall, it wasn't a great way to start my morning. I love my maple tree; it's the only tree still standing on my property from when we purchased it (the other two mature trees died during the drought a few years ago). The bottom line is that I will not lose this tree. Consider this post a declaration of war on scale. And it's going to be a messy one. 

Scale is, although it may not look like it, an insect. When they are young, they are mobile. They find a tree to infest, and then settle down and create little 'scales' (so named because someone thought they looked like individual scales on a fish). The immobile scales are female; they will slowly become concave over time as their insides fill with eggs. They turn brown and die just before the eggs hatch, at which point tiny insects will migrate up the tree and to neighboring plants to start the cycle again. 

Unfortunately, these little buggers are all over my tree, so if I don't create a treatment plan soon, they could potentially do a lot of damage. They feed on the sap in a tree, and create something called 'honeydew' as a byproduct; ants feed on this honeydew. This should have been my first clue: a fast-moving trail of excited-looking ants moving up the tree trunk. I blew it off as ants being ants. Little did I know, they were alerting me to a potential problem! 

Scale can eventually kill their host tree. The honeydew they produce attracts mold, which can cover the tree branches and leaves and create photosynthesizing problems. The now injured tree is susceptible to other issues and can die as a result. ​

After some online research, I discovered that the specific type of scale I have is Calico Scale, or Eulecanium cerasorum. I broke open one of the scales, as well, so you all can see the eggs growing inside:

Now that I know exactly what I'm dealing with here, I can put together a plan of attack. I've done some research, and here's what I've come up with:

1. Rubbing off the scale by hand. The infestation I have is relatively light, so  doing this may kill off the population that has taken up residence. 
2. Ladybugs. If my hands-on method does not do the trick, I will set loose an army of hungry ladybugs. I may do this just as a preventive measure in case I missed any of the scales with my first attack. 

If I still have a scale issue after these methods are deployed, more lethal methods might be used. War is never pretty, people.

Until next time, enjoy the ride!

Resources:
The Tree Geek
UCANR Master Gardener