Guys - I cant thank all of your enough for your responses. Training session done, suggestions for treatments discussed - difficulty and committement also discussed for ongoing months. We shall try to sort it - I will do the 'big' wipes oils, alcohols and toothbrush stuff - and he shall do the ongoing checking hand removal. Will update as and when we either give up or achieve success 🙌
One more wee query- do these Scale critters have a life cycle where they are mostly all dead ? After the winter they seem to be coming off leaves with a light brush - rather than any effort. Are there live ones amongst them or are they pretending death ? 🤔
Sorry Dove, late to the party.,popped to the post. Never mind. Wonder if the poster is UK based. We have had the odd scale insect, which is rubbed off. Vodka!!! I don't keep any spirits Would be cheaper to buy new plants.
We had a bad infestation a couple of years ago on our peach tree. A morning spent washing them off with a kitchen sponge and small squirt of washing up liquid in a bowl of water saw them off. As Pansyface says the live ones are creamy so it’s easy to do but not very pleasant and takes a while. After that I just kept and eye out and squished any that appeared. We had a few the following Spring but (touch wood) no more since.
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”—Marcus Tullius Cicero East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
Sorry Dove, late to the party.,popped to the post. Never mind. Wonder if the poster is UK based. We have had the odd scale insect, which is rubbed off. Vodka!!! I don't keep any spirits Would be cheaper to buy new plants.
Hiyer Nanny Beach - yes I'm a Hampshire resident 😊 I don't own vodka either. I have been very educated today - I now recognise the little so-and-sos and know the enemy ....battle has commenced.
We had a bad infestation a couple of years ago on our peach tree. A morning spent washing them off with a kitchen sponge and small squirt of washing up liquid in a bowl of water saw them off. As Pansyface says the live ones are creamy so it’s easy to do but not very pleasant and takes a while. After that I just kept and eye out and squished any that appeared. We had a few the following Spring but (touch wood) no more since.
Thanks Butterfly - plenty of gloves here for removal and squishing. Good to know that some simple hand washing effort was effective - and afterwards vigilance can keep them under check !
@belinda.ahmedfamily , I had a very bad scale infection last year. Lemon plant is in a pot, stays in the porch from autumn to spring and on the patio during summer. Last year I cleaned the plant with horticulture soap (very diluted), using cotton buds and q-tips. I also used Neem oil on a number of occasions. Having lots of sticky leaves due to scale was also a issue. Anyway taken awhile but certainly main infection has gone. However scale still appear, not totally gone but far less. So now I have a monthly scale watch scheme, whereby remove adults and alcohol wipes.
I spoke to company that provided the plant. They made a good point, we can mainly remove scale that we can see (adults) but the plant has hundreds of scale bugs we can't see. Alcohol rubs certainly helps but they also suggested using Entopest Pest Grade - Diatomaceous Earth Powder - Organic Insect Treatment. Diatomaceous Earth (Diatom) – A completely
natural and organic treatment, safe to use on edible plants. I managed to get the product from Amazon. Last week was the first time I used this earth powder, it deals with other bugs too not just scale. The plant on the whole has recovered very well considering the sorry state it was in. New growth and flower buds are appearing. Good luck with the cleansing, its a long haul but worth it I think.
Wow! Thanks so much for such a detailed helpful response, it's very kind of you. I'll just screen shot your message and send to the 'primary lemon owner' also. Your plant is kind of like ours in where its moved during season changes. The product sounds very interesting - will deffo look it up ! You just don't know where to start sometimes do you, when it's outside your knowledge area, some great suggestions here 😀
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Would be cheaper to buy new plants.
East facing, top of a hill clay-loam, cultivated for centuries (7 years by me). Birmingham
I spoke to company that provided the plant. They made a good point, we can mainly remove scale that we can see (adults) but the plant has hundreds of scale bugs we can't see. Alcohol rubs certainly helps but they also suggested using Entopest Pest Grade - Diatomaceous Earth Powder - Organic Insect Treatment. Diatomaceous Earth (Diatom) – A completely natural and organic treatment, safe to use on edible plants. I managed to get the product from Amazon. Last week was the first time I used this earth powder, it deals with other bugs too not just scale. The plant on the whole has recovered very well considering the sorry state it was in. New growth and flower buds are appearing. Good luck with the cleansing, its a long haul but worth it I think.