Things You'll Need:
- Insectide
- Sponge
- Pruning shears
- Insecticidal soap
- Horticultural oil
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Step 1
Know what you are looking for. At this point in the game you probably already know what a scale bug looks like. But also you may want to know what a crawler ( the mobile form) of a scale bug looks like. Also varying species of scale insects appear on plants at varying times. Put a ring of black electrical tape around the steam of a plant in the early part of the scale bugs season (periodically throughout the year such as spring time), this will trap crawlers and show you what you are looking for.
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Step 2
Now you will want to learn about the varying scale bug species in your area and the crawlers. The crawlers are most important because of the fact that scale bug crawlers are easier to kill. Scale bugs come in two types, soft and hard shelled. As you can guess the hard shelled ones are rather hard to kill. But to avoid this find out when the crawlers appear and apply insecticide (such as pyrethrin) or insecticidal soap (use an internet search for products specializing in scale bugs).
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Step 3
In the early part of the growing season you may want to consider using horticultural oil, which will leave a residue to combat scale bugs. You will have to be careful though due to the fact varying oils have varying degrees of effectiveness and may damage plants.
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Step 4
If scale insects are already established in their adult form you may consider using an insecticidal soap. Again as before insectidal soaps may harm plants, just like horticultural oils. Also these soaps do not leave a residue and will needed to be reapplied periodically. Also what you may consider applying is full blown insecticides and pesticides, just follow the instructions on the package, and look for scale insect specific pesticides.
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Step 5
For light infestations you may use the pruning method for scale insect control. Just remove the infected branch, leaf or whatever. This is the most effective way to control scale insects. Also you may use sponges to gently brush off the scale insects from the plant.
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Step 6
As always the most green way to control scale insects is by their own natural predators. Ladybugs, soldier beetles and parasitoid wasps. These all can be purchased/lured to your garden to provide an environmentally sound method of control for years to come.
