The soft scale insects of Florida (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae) (Arthropods of Florida and neighboring land areas) [Hamon, Avas B] on Amazon.com. Four or five decades ago, entomologists embarking on a study on soft scale insects would have encountered a scarcity of general text books or comprehensive treatise of the family, as a starting point for their research. Those ants will protect the source of their honeydew. The appearance of soft scales in the field is highly variable depending on the group. The most important distinction is that soft scales produce honeydew, which supports the growth of sooty mold fungi, while armored scales do not produce honeydew. The excess fluid they imbibe is secreted as honeydew on which sooty mold tends to grow. There are about 8,000 described species. Soft Scale Insects - Ebook written by Yair Ben-Dov, Chris J. Hodgson. The scale plant insect consists of three types: armored scale; soft scale; mealybug This sets up a dangerous cycle, because the sweet liquid attracts both ants and a non-pathogenic fungus called sooty mold. So, if you see spots and the leaves get sticky… you’ve got brown soft scale… Another sign of brown soft scale is if you see ants invading your plants. Volume 7, Part B, Pages 3-442 (1997) Download full volume. To do this they usually walk, as their ability to fly is limited, but they may get carried to new locations by the wind. Also, soft scale insects can produce “honeydew”, a sticky substance on the bottom of tree leaves that is an ideal place for tree fungus, such as black mold, to grow. Scale insects can be divided into two groups:Armored (Hard) – Secrete a hard protective covering (1/8 inch long) over themselves, which is not attached to the body. They do not secrete honeydew.Soft – Secrete a waxy film (up to 1/2 inch long) that is part of the body. See more ideas about scale insects, garden pests, garden pest control. For example, cochineal species are restricted to cactus hosts, and the gall-inducing Apiomorpha are restricted to Eucalyptus. Brown and turtle-shaped in appearance. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the superfamilyCoccoidea. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Scale insects are herbivores, piercing plant tissues with their mouthparts and remaining in one place, feeding on sap. The phytotoxic effects of these materials to some species of plants, especially during periods of high temperatures, has … Insecticidal soaps or horticultural oils can control brown soft scale, but these will require multiple treatments to be effective. Scale insects feed on leaves or branches of many ornamental plants grown in landscapes and nurseries. Severely infested trees look like they are covered with a string of popcorn. Armored Scale Insects Identified on Landscape Plants by the Clemson University Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic in 2012 & 2013. The hind (metathoracic) wings are reduced, commonly to the point that they can easily be overlooked. The evolution of these systems are thought to be the result of intra-genomic conflict as well as possibly inter-genomic conflict with endosymbionts under varied selection pressures. Insecticidal soap may also be used against scales. Scale generally targets the undersides of leaves and around leaf joints. 11). During feeding by soft scale species, excess plant sap is excreted as a sweet, sticky material called honeydew. Soft scale insects; Wax scale insects; Many scale insects have effective natural enemies, some of which are commercially available. The wax covers the insects which feed on the sap. The waxy covering of many species of scale protects their adults effectively from contact insecticides, which are only effective against the first-instar nymph stage known as the crawler. Both hard and soft scale females ultimately die, and their bodies form a protective covering over the eggs and for emerging crawlers. The average length is 1/8 inch. This is unusual among insects; it most closely resembles the situation in the true flies, the Diptera.   Male soft scale appears grayish to white and can look similar to mealybugs. [7] There are more than 20 families of scale insects world-wide including hard or armoured scales Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Their closest relatives are the jumping plant lice, whiteflies, phylloxera bugs and aphids. [17] Ants looking after their providers of honeydew tend to drive off predators, but the mealybug destroyer has outwitted the ants by developing cryptic camouflage, with their larvae mimicking scale larvae. Species of Hippeococcus have long clinging legs with claws to grip the Dolichoderus ants which tend them; they allow themselves to be carried into the ant colony. Others produce commercially valuable substances including carmine and kermes dyes, and shellac lacquer. The fungus benefits by metabolising the sap extracted from the tree by the insects. This key was built to help identify pest soft scale insects (Coccidae). The insects suck the juice from plants. The wax covers the insects which feed on the sap. Soft scale insects of Florida (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Coccidae) Gainesville, Fla. (P.O. Baiting and applying a sticky barrier to affected plants will rid you of the ants, making it easier to control the scale. They are usually slender insects resembling aphids or small flies. The traditional division into "Archaeococcoids" and "Neococcoids" is preserved except that the genus Pityococcus is moved to the "Neococcoids". Their phylogeny within that group, inferred from analysis of small subunit (18S) ribosomal RNA, is shown in the first cladogram. Aphids, small, soft-bodied insects excrete honeydew as well. Some scale insects are serious commercial pests, notably the cottony cushion scale (Icerya purchasi) on Citrus fruit trees; they are difficult to control as the scale and waxy covering protect them effectively from contact insecticides. In the case of hard scale insects, they have a hard and detachable shell that acts as their covering or armor. However, scales can often be controlled using horticultural oils that suffocate them, systemic pesticides that poison the sap of the host plants, or by biological control agents such as tiny parasitoid wasps and ladybirds. 1) Azalea bark scale, Eriococcus azalea A scale infestation is indicated by sooty mold on leaves, yellowing of leaves, and twig dieback. [2], The group is extremely sexually dimorphic; female scale insects, unusually for Hemiptera, retain the immature external morphology even when sexually mature, a condition known as neoteny. Adult females typically have soft bodies and no limbs, and are concealed underneath domed scales, extruding quantities of wax for protection. It is found near the midribs of leaves and on stems. Both hard and soft scale females ultimately die, and their bodies form a protective covering over the eggs and for emerging crawlers. Soft scale bugs excrete large amounts of honeydew, which encourages the growth of sooty mold, a black-colored fungus that interferes with … The honeydew drips onto the foliage and branches below, which often attracts ants, bees, wasps, and flies. On a tulip tree, ants have been observed building a papery tent over the scales. Recognition of scale insect families has fluctuated over time, and the validity of many remains in flux,[35][36] with several recognized families not included in the phylogeny presented above: Families known only from fossils are Albicoccidae, Burmacoccidae, Arnoldidae, Electrococcidae, Grimaldiellidae, Grohnidae, Hammanococcidae, Inkaidae, Jersicoccidae, Kukaspididae, Labiococcidae, Lebanococcidae, Lithuanicoccidae, Macrodrilidae,[37] Pennygullaniidae, Serafinidae and Weitschatidae.[38][39]. Female scale insects have no compound eyes, but ocelli (simple eyes) are sometimes present in Margarodidae, Ortheziidae and Phenacoleachiidae. Adult female cottony cushion scale (Icerya purchasi) with young crawlers. A third variant found in Diaspididae involves the paternal genome being completely removed at an early stage making males haploid both in somatic and germ cells even though they are formed from diploids, ie from fertilized eggs. It has a strongly convex and irregular in shape. Often, ant infestations are among the first signs of soft scale. [2] Ladybirds feed on aphids and scale insects, laying their eggs near their prey to ensure their larvae have immediate access to food. [18] In 1990, they caused around $5 billion of damage to crops in the United States. [2] This provides a means for the mealybug to be dispersed widely. Only the soft scale bugs produce this liquid, which tends to drip on leaves and objects below it. Adult females are pear-shaped, elliptical or circular, with no wings, and usually no constriction separating the head from the body. In some species, sexual and asexual populations are found in different locations, and in general, species with a wide geographic range and a diversity of plant hosts are more likely to be asexual. [31], Collecting scale insects from a prickly pear for a dyestuff, cochineal, 1777, Coronation cloak of King Roger II of Sicily, 1133. [2], In species with winged males, generally only the forewings are fully functional. These are plants that look to be on the brink of immediate death, but things aren’t always that straightforward. Cottony maple scale (Pulvinaria innumerabilis) is a flattened brown scale about 1/8” long that becomes one of the most conspicuous soft scale insects attacking ornamental plants when mature females begin to secrete white, waxy, cottony-appearing egg sacs in early summer. Don’t worry, we have the answers to your burning soft scale questions. Next volume. You can find a fascinating description of the process through the Ask A Biologist page of Arizona State University at this website. Soft scales also tend to be larger and to have Previous volume. [16], Natural enemies include parasitoid wasps, mostly in the families Encyrtidae and Eulophidae, and predatory beetles such as fungus weevils, ladybirds and sap beetles. Plants that are droopy, yellowing or have developed sticky spots and black mold on leaves can be really alarming to find in your landscape or garden. The goal of this page is to present information common to many scale species and help identify common scales. This key was built to help identify pest soft scale insects (Coccidae). Honeydew is a mixture of undigested sugar and water passed through the insect's digestive system and deposited onto leaves and stems. Scale insects Hard and soft scales Background Scale insects refer to a large group of sucking insects from the order Hemiptera, which includes such groups as aphids, psyllids, stink bugs, shield bugs, whiteflies, pirate bugs and other groups. Armored scales are more difficult to control once mature. There are various strategies for dealing with deciduous trees. These scale insects often produce copious amounts of honeydew. Scale insects are very well represented in the fossil record, being abundantly preserved in amber from the Early Cretaceous, 130 mya, onwards; they were already highly diversified by Cretaceous times. Finally, ants farm soft scale insects. The tiny parasitic wasp Anagyrus lopezi, a highly effective biological control of the cassava mealybug, At the same time, some kinds of scale insects are themselves useful as biological control agents for pest plants, such as various species of cochineal insects that attack invasive species of prickly pear, which spread widely especially in Australia and Africa. If you’re seeing ants in the same plant as the scale bugs, you’ll have to get the ants under control at the same time that you treat the invaders. The scale bug is small, oval and flat, with a protective tan to brown shell-like covering (scale). and Malumphy, C. (2013). Scale insects Hard and soft scales Background Scale insects refer to a large group of sucking insects from the order Hemiptera, which includes such groups as aphids, psyllids, stink bugs, shield bugs, whiteflies, pirate bugs and other groups. On branches, the underside is usually preferred as giving protection against predation and adverse weather. Soft scale feed directly from the vascular systems of host plants, which can quickly result in a plant that looks like it’s not feeling so hot. The most common symptom of soft scale infestation is accumulation of honeydew and sooty mold on or beneath a plant. A catalogue of the soft-scale insects of the world (Homoptera: Coccoidea: Cocidae) with data on geographical distribution, host plants, biology and economic importance. Scale insects vary dramatically in appearance, from very small organisms (1–2 mm) that grow beneath wax covers (some shaped like oysters, others like mussel shells), to shiny pearl-like objects (about 5 mm), to animals covered with mealy wax. Some species are hermaphroditic, with a combined ovotestis instead of separate ovaries and testes. Some, such as the cochineal, kermes, lac, Armenian cochineal, and Polish cochineal, have been used to produce red dyes for coloring foods and dyeing fabrics. DAMAGE . Always test foliage before spraying your entire plant with any sort of oil. Honeydew may make the plant appear shiny and wet and also attracts flies, ants, bees, and other insect scavengers. One generation per year. ", "Aphids and scale insects on threatened trees: co-extinction is a minor threat", "A new species of ant-tended soft scale of the genus, "An ancient tripartite symbiosis of plants, ants and scale insects", "Guidance for Industry: Cochineal Extract and Carmine", "New Termitaphididae and Aradidae (Hemiptera) in Mexican and Dominican amber", "Putting scales into evolutionary time: the divergence of major scale insect lineages (Hemiptera) predates the radiation of modern angiosperm hosts", "Phylogeny and higher classification of the scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea)", "The phylogeny of the superfamily Coccoidea (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha) based on the morphology of extant and extinct macropterous males", 10.1206/0003-0082(2001)335<0001:AAAAHF>2.0.CO;2, Cottony cushion scale: the pest that launched a pest control revolution, Scales of southeastern U.S. woody ornamentals, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scale_insect&oldid=997498520, Extant Early Cretaceous first appearances, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. 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