COTTONY MAPLE SCALE (Pulvinaria innumerabilis)
Tagged as: scale, cottony maple scales
COTTONY MAPLE SCALE (Pulvinaria innumerabilis)
The primary host of cottony maple scale is the silver (or soft) maple and boxelder. It can also infest other maples, white ash, hackberry, dogwood, beech, apple, oak, linden, elm, black and honey locust.
DESCRIPTION
The small, brown, 1/8 inch long flattened scale overwinters as an inconspicuous, immature female on the bark of twigs and branches. By late May or early June the female scale has matured and begins to lay hundreds of eggs within a white frothy wax. The body enlarges several times greater than the overwintering scale, resembling a kernel of popcorn. The eggs hatch into pale yellow-green crawlers in late June or July and migrate to the underside of leaves, feeding along the veins and midrib by withdrawing sap from the plant parts.
In late summer, mature winged males mate with immature females. The males, lacking feeding mouth parts, die a few days after mating. Before leaves begin to drop in fall, the immature females migrate to the twigs where they attach themselves for overwintering. They produce one generation per year.
SYMPTOMS
Damage to the host tree is caused when heavy populations of cottony maple scale withdraw sap from the plant, resulting in branch and twig dieback. Leaves may turn yellow and drop prematurely. In extreme conditions, a tree may be killed. Frequently, feeding results in the secretion of a clear sticky substance called honeydew. Honeydew often drops onto leaves or plants below. If abundant, a sooty mold fungus may colonize the honeydew, resulting in a black sooty appearance on the leaves, twigs, and branches.
CONTROL
Cultural
Serious outbreaks of the cottony maple scale may last for two to three years, but their numbers become greatly reduced when natural predators, including a number of wasps and fly parasites, are present. The major predator of the immature scale is the two-stabbed lady beetle. The adult beetle is black with a red spot on each wing case. The immature lady beetle resembles a mealy bug and can be found buried in the cottony egg mass. Both adult and immature beetles feed on eggs and nymphs of the scale. When beneficial insects are present, spraying should be avoided.
A dormant oil spray applied to the trunk and branches of a tree in the spring, before the leaves emerge, may reduce the overwintering females. Dormant oil should not be used on Japanese or sugar maple.
Chemical
A heavy infestation of scale may reduce the vigor of young or stressed trees if no control measures are used. Apply sprays in July when young nymphs are present on the leaves. Repeat in 10 days.
Refer to the Illinois Urban Pest Management Handbook (University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service) for a complete listing of chemical recommendations. Use pesticides safely and wisely; read and follow label directions.
The pesticide information presented in this publication is current with federal and state regulations. The user is responsible for determining that the intended use is consistent with the label of the product being used. The information given here is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement made by The Morton Arboretum.