Chinese Juniper - 90% sure these are scale insects? Photos attached...

Could someone who knows for sure just confirm, and what kind of insecticide I should use?

I couldn't quite see what they were before I took these photos, thought I may as well still post them in case I'm wrong!





And one zoomed in as photobucket reduces the images resolution so much!

Looks like. Tough barsteds to get rid of.

repeated applications of insecticidal soap should do it...

Thanks guys, will give that a go.   

Keri-WMS wrote:Thanks guys, will give that a go.   

I am afraid you are going to need something stronger than insecticidal soap.  I would suggest getting your hands on something sooner rather than latter.  You infestation seems pretty significant and needs to be dealt with.  I do not recomend products, I did that once with someone's Juniper and damaged it, I wont do that again.  Make sure what you use is recomended for both Scale and Junipers.  Junipers are not always happy with some of the remedies we use.

Thanks Vance, I'll trawl through the pest sections of my bonsai books and see if I can find something stonger but safe to use - at least I know what the little ####s are!

Keri-WMS wrote:Thanks Vance, I'll trawl through the pest sections of my bonsai books and see if I can find something stonger but safe to use - at least I know what the little ####s are!

You really need to get this done as soon as possible.  Scale can wipe out a tree in a hurry.  If the tree survives from this point it is going to look really bad for about three years.  The damaged foliage cannot be brought back to a state of looking normal, it will always look washed out and kind of dry.  You have to wait for the tree to renew itself over time.

I'll trawl through the pest sections of my bonsai books

Better yet, ASK an expert in pest control. Bonsai books, in general are a damned poor place to find accurate horticultural information; tradition, rather than science, plays a too-important role in bonsai culture. At BEST, the information will be old and outdated. At worst (and commonly) it will be flat out wrong.

Vance has the correct approach. Some of the pesticide advice I see here and elsewhere is simply gawdawful -- if well intentioned.

If you lived over on this side of the ocean, I'd advise you to ask your local Agricultural Extension Agent. There is an office in virtually every county in the United States. (Find them here: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/ ). I don't know if the UK has something similar. At the very least take your tree or a pruned branch in to a knowledgeable local nurseryman.

I don't think we have anything like that over here.

I could ask the club, but then anything there will have come from books originally!

I'll see what I can find out and if it's a range of advice I might post it here to see what people think.

Don't fool around too long or the tree may be beyond help. Go to a nursery, prefferably a good one, and start reading labels. You want something that will kill scale, preferably the adult scale, not just the crawlers and will not harm Juniper. There are a lot of these treatments that are harmful to the Juniper species.

Do we know of the types that are not great for Junipers as process of elimination?   

Vance Wood wrote: There are a lot of these treatments that are harmful to the Juniper species.

is "Safer" insecticidal soap one of those ???

if it is readily available in the UK, that might be a good start while something stronger is sought...

i have used Safer on several trees and a ficus (i know, i know... different animal) that had scale really bad...
it is now scale free and has been for about a year and a half (and healthy as a horse)... the other trees were around it and sprayed as a just-in-case (one being a juniper) and no ill effects to them...

with "Safer" though, repeated applications is the key, because you might kill adults one week, but 7-10 days later you will have the young ones popping up (and i dont mean vivian, rrrric and the boys).

again, "Safer" might not be strong enough for your infestation, but it might be a benign (to your tree) stop-gap...
then again, it might be just the ticket.

http://www.saferbrand.com/store/garden-care/5110?gclid=CLmB6MHoz78CFYZaMgodfH8AwQ

and it looks like you can find it on amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/FLOWER-INSECTICIDAL-CONCENTRATE-APPROVED-Outdoors/dp/B00192AO90

which means you might find it at the local garden center...

hope that helps

The big problem with scale is once it is an adult with a scale fortress formed around itself (that white or brown or mottled crusty thing) most insecticides do not have the stuff to get through it.

vance - what do you reckon the life span of an adult is ?

my thinking is; if you take care of the future generations via what ever means and the adults die off (or get wiped off/picked off), then thats (localized) extinction...

as usual, i could be wrong...   
but as always, willing to be corrected and educated !   

beer city snake wrote:vance - what do you reckon the life span of an adult is ?

my thinking is; if you take care of the future generations via what ever means and the adults die off (or get wiped off/picked off), then thats (localized) extinction...

as usual, i could be wrong...   
but as always, willing to be corrected and educated !   

When you realize just how extensive and wide spread a good infestation can be it is almost impossible to determine when you might be scale free.  This is the one pest that can be a real problem with Mugo Pine.  Mugos seem to be prone to it more so than Scots or any of the Black Pine I have.  The best thing you can do is catch them early by killing the crawlers before they breed and settle in.  You can stop them at this point.  Malathion used to work really well against them but they seem to have developed a resistance to it.  As of now you'll have to investigate other options. You get something as significant as what is going on with this Juniper your tree is in trouble.

Be good to find out what their main predators are! But could take too long I expect.

Keri-WMS wrote:Be good to find out what their main predators are! But could take too long I expect.

They don't have one once they have holed up to my knowledge.

Handy! http://www.entomology.umn.edu/cues/Web/159JuniperScale.pdf

Guys

You must use a systemic insecticide.  The one I use here for all tender shrubs and trees is called Koinor.  Pick it up at any hardware and Nursery.

The plant takes it up in its tissue and all matter of vermin that sucks on it will be destroyed.  Excellent way of killing scale, for other poisons will  not take out the bottom layer.

It last about 4 months, so if you do it 3 times a year, you will be pest free.

The main enemy of scale is Ladybirds..... but you try and get 300 together...hihihihihihih

Love and light

O I forgot to say.... you water it in, so no spray can required.