Does anyone have any advice on how to get rid of scales?
They're the dark brown ones, they crunch when you squish them. I have them all over one of my vines.
X-(

I have had scales on my kaffir lime plants when I put them out in the summer, and got rid of them with a combination soap/oil spray, making sure I got it underneath, since that's where they hide. Since they are slow, this gets most of them with the first shot, then I put another coat on a couple weeks later. I usually don't see them again all summer.

Dave

What kind of soap/oil spray. Did you make this at home?
Is it organic? Will it kill off any of my beneficial insects? Where can I find this? ?:|

We have them all of the time on our citrus trees here in Texas. I went to Home Depot and bought a soap spray for them and it worked. It took about one week to get rid of them. In south Texas we use to use an oil spray in the winter months to kill them in the orchards but could not find it up here where I live.

The soap spray is made by a company called Safer, that has a line of least toxic products. You can find it in concentrated form in just about any nursery. Here's more info: http://www.pestproducts.com/safersoap.htm

I sometimes use a butter knife to scrape away a really bad infestation, then spray with soap. Horticultural oil works, too. And yes, they will kill beneficials, so be careful. If you see a ladybug, for example, move it out of the way.

What you have is Armored Scale rather than Soft Scale and horticultural oils are the only thing that will control them. You could use a mixture of soap and oil but that will be no more effective than the oil and a waste of soap. Summer oil now and in the winter a dormant oil, however be careful and apply the oil only to the scales now, do not get any on the trees leaves.

Kimm,
:O Uh oh, now you tell me. I sprayed the scales and the spray went everywhere? These scales are reddish brown and they crack when you squish them.

I actually sprayed my citrus trees today and I sprayed the leaves too. Did I kill my tree? ?:|

I guess it's good that it's been overcast today.

Should I water the trees down and try to remove the oil?
There are several, hundreds of scales. I just want to get rid of them. Oh, and then the ants are nurturing them, encouraging them to be there! X-( (more pests!)

What do you advise?

Ants should be kept out of citrus, since they nurture both scale and aphids. Make sure that no part of the tree touches anything that the ants have access to, and then apply tangletrap to the trunk. And you can spray the ants that can't get off the tree with soap afterwards.

Hi Jennifer,

What's tangletrap? ?:|

(off the subject) You live in Los Angeles, CA ...I'm LA county too.

Thanks for the link earlier. Very helpful.

I doubt seriously that the ants are "nurturing" the scales, and they do not do that with aphids either. Ants do utilize both as a food source, so in that respect the ants are beneficial and helpful to you. The theory that ants "farm" aphids is supposition form a studie that found one species of ant did "farm" a form of fungi, but if you really watch closely you will see the ants taking aphids to the nest, but never returning with them.
If the oil did get on the leaves and it was not washed off immediately there is little you can do except watch and hope the leaves will not be damaged. The label of the product, unless you used an oil from the kitchen, should have had a cautionary note about spraying the leaves.

"Nurturing" was the wrong word. Ants protect aphids from their predators, and milk them for honeydew. And believe me, it's true. I invite you to visit citrus trees in Los Angeles that have not been protected from ants. When ants break through onto my citrus trees the aphid population escalates dramatically, and you can watch the ants working with them.

I got the oil at www.gardensalive.com and the soap, of the brand SAFER, and mixed them, to help emulsify the oil. Don't know if it worked better than plain oil, but it was a small amount, so I used it. Both organic, and worked great. It is the type of thing that only kills when sprayed, so check for beneficials, then spray. The scales won't take off, like the ladybugs!

Dave

I think Jeniffer was refering to Tree Tanglefoot.