Juniper scale?

[Cable]

Oh god dammit, looks like my juniper blue chip has scale. Noticed a little on the other one, too, but nowhere near as bad. I had noted that the one branch was discolored but in the low light of early spring chocked it up to winter discoloration. Then today noticed the dots.

 

[NOZZLE HEAD]

Systemic insecticides will always perform better against scale insects than oils.

 

[Cable]

Systemic insecticides will always perform better against scale insects than oils.

Perhaps but I'm going with Neem oil first.

 

[River's Edge]

Perhaps but I'm going with Neem oil first.

The oil will help with eggs and soft females, however the infestation appears heavy. Perhaps consider malathion if it is available in your area! I would suggest tweezers but the infestation is pretty advanced

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I found that neem oil works a couple times a year but the scale always comes back. So this year I switch it with another, rapeseed oil based, insecticide.
One week I use the rapeseed oil stuff, the next two weeks I treat with neem oil. This is week three now, I'll report my findings when I get back home.

Neem seems to keep them from spreading, that's a good start. But I'd like to get rid of them completely.

Systemics aren't available for consumers here.

 

[leatherback]

Systemics aren't available for consumers here.

Annoying at times huh

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Annoying at times huh

That doesn't mean I can't get them though!

But I'm not a fan of killing bees, which most systemics seem to do. My bonsai patch is close to the cherry tree, my blueberries, my strawberries and a flowering hedera. I need those bees!

 

[Underdog]

I have a Blue Star with similar trouble. I've had to result to going nuclear. Tuff lil bastards. This years new growth look good so far. I have also been using soap.

 

[NOZZLE HEAD]

That doesn't mean I can't get them though!

But I'm not a fan of killing bees, which most systemics seem to do. My bonsai patch is close to the cherry tree, my blueberries, my strawberries and a flowering hedera. I need those bees!
View attachment 296428

A common misconception with systemic insecticides is that they kill bees when applied to a site with no food source for bees. The bee would need to actively feed on a juniper, and they don’t, to get any exposure.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

A common misconception with systemic insecticides is that they kill bees when applied to a site with no food source for bees. The bee would need to actively feed on a juniper, and they don’t, to get any exposure.

A common misconception about systemic insecticides is that they don't wash out. And that's where the problem lies; they do wash out, especially out of bonsai soil, into the soil where my fruits, flowers and veggies grow.
I also have bees and other insects sipping the morning dew from my trees and drinking from my pots after watering. If one bee takes that water home before dying, it could potentially kill 15 to 30 puppae. Over a days time, I have more than 50 bees visiting my pots and a couple dozen more pollinating my fruits. The math isn't pretty.
Aphids still produce honey dew for a couple of hours after taking in those toxins, bees, wasps and ants love that stuff.
I could kill a premature beehive with a single application of systemics.
I don't know what it's like in the rest of the world, but we have hardly any bees left. The hot and dry summers and warm winters take their toll on the more resistant bumblebees as well.

 

[Cable]

Thanks for the advice. I asked the head grower what we use here at the nursery for scale and he said mostly Safari (which is CRAZY expensive, like $140 a bottle) but said that he recommends Merit for home use, or just look for the active ingredient: imidacloprid. Found it in BAYER ADVANCED Complete at Lowes for $13 but I ended up buying a bottle of generic concentrate on Amazon.

 

[NOZZLE HEAD]

A common misconception about systemic insecticides is that they don't wash out. And that's where the problem lies; they do wash out, especially out of bonsai soil, into the soil where my fruits, flowers and veggies grow.
I also have bees and other insects sipping the morning dew from my trees and drinking from my pots after watering. If one bee takes that water home before dying, it could potentially kill 15 to 30 puppae. Over a days time, I have more than 50 bees visiting my pots and a couple dozen more pollinating my fruits. The math isn't pretty.
Aphids still produce honey dew for a couple of hours after taking in those toxins, bees, wasps and ants love that stuff.
I could kill a premature beehive with a single application of systemics.
I don't know what it's like in the rest of the world, but we have hardly any bees left. The hot and dry summers and warm winters take their toll on the more resistant bumblebees as well.

It would only wash out if it is applied as a drench. If applied as a foliar spray none would end up in the soil. There is only one product that is even downwardly mobile in plants.

 

[NOZZLE HEAD]

Thanks for the advice. I asked the head grower what we use here at the nursery for scale and he said mostly Safari (which is CRAZY expensive, like $140 a bottle) but said that he recommends Merit for home use, or just look for the active ingredient: imidacloprid. Found it in BAYER ADVANCED Complete at Lowes for $13 but I ended up buying a bottle of generic concentrate on Amazon.

That active ingredient works nicely for scale.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

It would only wash out if it is applied as a drench. If applied as a foliar spray none would end up in the soil. There is only one product that is even downwardly mobile in plants.

There's a thread about watering the foliage that's pretty busy right now, a lot of people seem to be doing it.
Could you explain to us how those pesticides lose their solubility in water after application? Those pesticides are applied while being soluble/miscible/emulsified in water. If they don't wash out or wash off, then they must lose that solubility somewhere and some how. That's a part I don't understand. I can grasp the concept of emulsifiers like naphtalene evaporating and stop being a carrier, but not every pesticide works that way.
If the plant can transport systemics through the sap, but they're not water soluble, how does it transport those systemics?

There's some interesting studies about conifers leaking so many turpenes and other volatiles - the typical conifer smell - that even air quality is negatively affected. I'm wondering if there are studies about the effects of those carbon molecules affecting the way pesticides move. I mean, if they (the volatiles) can dissolve paint and break down rubber, I wonder what they can do to pesticides, apart from oxidation.

I personally don't like using stuff I don't completely understand. If you could provide some extra info or insights, I think that would be helpful to all of us.

 

[sorce]

My Blue Chip may have it too, not as bad, but it never really thrives....

Blue Chip, Blue Star....if my Blue Rug gets it, we may have to check Jayz and Beyonce's kid for scale. Lol.

Sorce

 

[Underdog]

Singing the Blues... Have to get a pic of it now. No way to pick them all off in my lifetime.
Oh and @NOZZLE HEAD you a fireman? I'm a retired one and just guessing from you handle.