Stopping Scale From Taking Over Your Plants
Scale can easily take over your plants and ruin the appearance of your landscaping or indoor plants. Westfall's Lawn and Pest is ready to help you treat and prevent scale on your plants.
Frequently Asked Questions About Scale
What is scale?
Scale may sound like a disease, but this term actually refers to several different small insects that cling to plants. These insects will suck the sap from plants, destroying them, and infestations of scale quickly grow out of control due to the prolific nature of these Bradenton pests.
There are many different types of scale, and these pests may be seen in a wide range of colors, patterns, and sizes. However, scale insects are typically very small, rarely growing larger than 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch. Scale insects always invade in clusters, and they may be brown, orange, black, or white in color, or they may camouflage themselves to the plant they are attacking.
Is scale dangerous?
Scale is not directly harmful to humans, as these insects are not venomous, and they don’t bite humans. However, they may trigger allergies in susceptible individuals, and handling scale insects might cause some mild itching or skin irritation.
Scale insects are more dangerous to the plants they invade, as infestations of scale pierce the plants they invade to feed on the sap. Over time, this destroys the plants and results in costly damage if a scale infestation is widespread throughout your property.
Why do I have a scale problem?
Scale insects are tiny, and it’s often difficult to pinpoint exactly where these pests emerged from. In most cases, they result from the use of contaminated potting soil, dirty plant pots, or plants that were left outside in weather conditions that encourage scale infestation. Check your plants often for signs of scale, as infestations must be treated quickly to prevent serious damage to plants.
Where will I find scale?
Scale insects are typically seen on the plants they are invading. They will appear as small, rounded brownish lumps, and they are most commonly found along plant leaves or stems. Scale may be found on the underside of leaves, and some species appear like bumps or small shells gathered in clusters on your plants.
How do I get rid of scale?
Scale is often resistant to most pesticides, and DIY or store-bought solutions generally don’t take care of your scale problem. The best way to get rid of scale is to contact Westfall’s Lawn and Pest to address this problem for you. Our pest control professionals will help identify scale on your plants and provide you with helpful solutions that eliminate scale from your plants for good.
Contact us today to learn more or to request an evaluation.
How can I prevent scale in the future?
Prevent scale in the future by taking certain precautions with your plants. Our expert tips below help you understand how to stop scale:
- Ensure you purchase planting soil from reputable vendors to reduce the chances of accidentally utilizing contaminated soil in your yard.
- Always use clean plant pots for new plants and clean plant pots in between uses.
- Keep your plants healthy and the soil in good condition, as healthy conditions for plants reduce the chances of scale attacking them.
- Make sure plants have proper irrigation to stop moisture buildup and unhealthy plant conditions.
- Consider introducing or encouraging beneficial predators into outdoor areas to combat scale, such as certain species of parasitic wasps.
Contact Westfall’s Lawn and Pest today for more scale prevention advice or scale removal assistance.
