Arthropod pests
Mealybugs & Scale Insects
Mealybugs and scale insects can hide at nodes, petioles, stems, and protected crevices. Their waxy coverings and low mobility in some life stages make deliberate close inspection important.
What to look for
- Cottony or waxy colonies in protected plant crevices
- Small fixed or slow-moving scale-like bodies on stems or leaves
- Honeydew and sticky surfaces
- Localized decline around persistent colonies
Important look-alikes
- Dried plant sap
- Mineral or foliar-spray residue
- Fungal growth
- Normal corking or stem texture
How to confirm
- Inspect with magnification and a probe to distinguish organisms from residue
- Look for multiple life stages
- Check nodes, petiole bases, and sheltered branch unions
- Photograph and preserve specimens if identification is uncertain
Management principles
- Detect early before colonies establish in inaccessible areas
- Physically separate infested material
- Use compatible biological or other IPM tactics appropriate to the pest
- Verify control by checking hidden sites, not only exposed foliage
Prevention
- Inspect incoming vegetative material closely
- Clean propagation and mother-stock areas
- Avoid carrying insects on tools, clothing, or plant carts
- Remove abandoned plant material that can serve as a reservoir
Visual study guide
- Mealybug and scale identification plate
- Hidden-site inspection map
- Residue versus insect comparison
- Life-stage closeups