As plants reawaken after their deep winter slumber, not all are healthy. And it's at this time of year it is easiest to see problems with one type of garden pest: scale insects. If you notice white patches on your tree trunks, they may be suffering an attack of scale--tiny insects that latch onto the plant matter and suck the sap right out of them, causing yellowing, browning and stunted growth--even leading to the demise of trees.
Scale insects start to emerge in early spring and affect a variety of trees, including aspen, ash, hemlock, poplar, maple and lilac. They can even affect trees traditionally kept inside, like ficus and fig trees. Look closely at tree bark because oyster shell scale masquerades as bark itself, looking like dull and unobtrusive patches of uneven bark. But don't be fooled: it's "bark" is not worse than it's miniscule, sap-sucking "bite." In fact, it's all devastating to trees.
If you suspect your plants have fallen prey to a full-"scale" attack, you can test for emerging populations by shaking branches over a sheet of dark paper. If present, the tiny, pale creepy-crawlers will show up on the paper. If this is the case, take action immediately. My favorite scale-eradicators are--of course--organic compounds, which use nature's own providers to attack insects' nervous systems. I like Pyrethrum, made from the dried flower heads of the chrysanthemum, and Neem oil, derived from the Neem tree of India. You can even peel off patches of suspected scale by hand, which, although time-consuming, is the most natural method of scale removal. And remember, a little diligence goes a long way: nip the problem in the proverbial bud today, and you'll prevent it from becoming an issue of great scale tomorrow.
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