Are these what i think they are?!?!?!?!?!

SLakin

Try sending photo, tree type to kenneth.r.lakin@aphis.usda.gov in about 2 hours to Dr. Kenneth R. Lakin Senior Risk Analyst (entomologist). He also works with plant pathologists. They may be able to id photo.
Slakin

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AndyWilson

Chopping down a tree because of scale? Scale difficult to treat?

No and no, not in my opinion anyways but hey its your lemon tree and if you wanna chop it then go right ahead.

BTW if i were you i would use this experience to learn how to properly deal with scale. that way if they ever land up on your bonsai you will know how to handle them effectively.

eeiko321

well if i chop down the branches.................i may as well the whole tree.
gives me something to do aswell.......
but i seriously wonder if praying mantis eats these kind of things...

Asus101

No, just wait and do a hard prune in late winter, feed it up and restart. Just keep an eye on the other surrounding trees. No need to chop it down and remove it. The tree will benefit from a hard prune anyway.

october

HELLO again EEIKO 321....Well, it certainly does look like scale....Looks pretty bad too. The signs of a bad infestation are when they have migrated to the tops of the leaves and are lined up and down the vein of each leaf. As far as cutting it down, it would be up to you. However, I do have a couple of other bits of info.

Scale IS and CAN BE a serious issue. I have delt with it first hand and know others who have as well. A friend of mine, a 20 year bonsai artist lost one of his favorite bonsai to scale. If you read any good book, they will tell you that scale is not something to be taken lightly. I just read another article in a book stating how serious this can be. There have been a couple of replies to this thread that seem to be trivializing or down grading the seriousness of a scale infestation.

Anyone in the notheast part of this country that has delt with scale, knows the possible threats that these insects can create. Sometimes the infestations keep coming back 2,3, even 4 or more times. I have had many discussions with bonsai artists and they all cringe when scale is mentioned. the insect of course, not the artistic bonsai principle lol...

I am not saying that other people have or have not struggled with scale. However, there are different species, different trees and different parts of the world. All are factors...A small soft shelled scale infestation on one tree caught right away may or may not end up to be a big problem. Thats why constant inspection of your trees is a good idea

I have read some articles that have suggested to actually throw away the tree if it has a really bad infestation. I, personally, do not agree with this. I believe to at least make an effort to save it..providing the tree means a lot to you and that there is still some health left.

You had mentioned a systemic spray? Systemics are usually a powder or liquid that you put into the soil, then water, not usually sprays....How the systemic works is, the tree sucks it up and when the insects feed on the tree, they eat the pesticide.

I think you should do whatever you feel is right. However, you will need to check all surrounding trees and even your bonsai at least twice a week now for the next few months. Scale not only speads by other scale, but the wind carries the eggs and so do the ants. Yes, ants carry the scale eggs.

If you do decide to cut the tree down.. Remove all parts of the tree, roots and all. Also, dispose of it off your property, bag it, burn it, garbage dump, whatever......do not throw it somewhere on your property or use the wood for anything.

Rob

AndyWilson

Rob, at least making an effort is a very strange statement. If one of your prized bonsai becomes infested with scale i should hope you do much more then that!

Throwing away a tree is just about the worst advice i could ever think to include in an article, i hope they werent referring to bonsai as i dont know a single bonsai grower who would throw a tree away from a mere scale infestation.

I agree with you that scale can become an issue, but only by serious neglect, and even then unless were talking every tree in the garden i just dont find them that hard to get rid of (the scale).

Maybe as you point out it is easier here, or we have a softer species, it is something very interesting to do a bit of research on.

Thanks for the interesting post!
Andy

october

Hello Andy, yes, it can be a huge problem here. One of the worst kinds of pests. People that know about it here cringe when they even hear the word.

That article that I read, about throwing away a tree, yes, it was a bonsai site and they did mention disposing the tree ( bonsai ) if it had a really bad scale infestation. I read that article many years ago and even then, I DID NOT agree with it.

A couple/few years back, I saved quite a few of my trees that had scale. Using horticultural oil and systemics.....Also, utilizing cold periods on tropicals. However, giving tropicals a cold period requires some experience. Like needing to know exactly how cold the tree can tolerate and for how long.

My trees have been scale free for a couple of years now. The aftermath of scale is one of the biggest problems. Sometimes if you save a tree, it will take a year or 2 to recover. Also, some tropicals are sensitive to certain pesticides...So, you have to use something or the tree will die, however, you don't want to kill it by using a pesticide that is trying to help it...

A friend of mine, a 20 year bonsai enthsiast, did lose one of his his favorite bonsai to scale, it just kept coming back. I lost quite a few trees about 4 years ago to it. However, after 2 years of research about scale and trial and error, I beat it. Basically the last group of trees I saved, I said,," you are not gonna kill these, there is no way you getting these trees "......