How to deal with the scale insect on indoor plants

When a scabbard appears on indoor plants, it is quite easy to detect it due to its large size and immobile position. The pest belongs to the order of hemiptera insects and is a member of the coccid superfamily. The scale insects feed on plant juices and this is what they cause damage to cultivated plants. To fight an insect, you need to know how it looks and what methods of getting rid of it will be most effective.

Description and types of shield

Scientists have described more than 2600 species of scale insects, but only a few of them can parasitize house flowers. The pests look about the same.

The female insect is characterized by:

• lack of limbs, eyes, wings and antennae;
• powerful oral apparatus of the piercing-sucking type;
• soft scutellum and the ability to move in the larval stage;
• flat body, oval or round, up to 5 mm long;
• the color of the scutellum can be either yellowish brown or dark brown.

Males, unlike females, have developed wings, legs and eyes. The oral apparatus in males is undeveloped. The body of the males is segmented, the scutellum is small.

Insect eggs are light, microscopic in size. Of these, larvae subsequently appear, passing through 2 stages of development. In appearance, the larvae differ from adults in a smaller size and a lighter color of the scutellum.

Different types of scale insects parasitize on different cultures. The following species can be found in the garden:

• Comma-shaped shield. The insect is a serious threat to fruit trees, most often it can be found on an apple tree. The garden pest is larger than domestic species. Its body size is about 1.5 cm. The scutellum itself is twice as large. The female of this species is characterized by a brown color, the males are lighter. In late summer, the pest lays eggs on young shoots. In the spring, the overwintered larvae begin their harmful activity.
• Mulberry shield. The pest inhabits trees in a peculiar way - males settle on the lower branches, females occupy the upper tier of the crown. This is due to the fact that females and larvae need young growing shoots for nutrition. With a strong insect infestation, the tree is abundantly covered with white mucus, which is secreted by this type of coccid.
• California scale insect. The pest infects tree species and can pose a threat to apple, plum, pear, cherry plum. Reproduction of scale insects occurs en masse in the fall, the larvae hibernate in the bark, and in the spring they begin to suck the juice from young shoots. The larvae of this species are characterized by a white color, the adult insects acquire a gray color.
• Currant pillow. As the name implies, this type of scale insects mainly affects currant bushes. Insect larvae are small, move very quickly. Adult parasites stick to the underside of the leaves, as well as to the stems, and from that moment remain motionless. The pest is considered very dangerous. In the absence of control measures, the cushion is capable of completely destroying currant plantings in a few years.

Other species parasitize indoor plants. For example, the red orange scale insect chooses citrus fruits for its vital activity - it can multiply on lemon and other related crops. The scaled palm harms plants from the genus of palm trees. Scabbard houses can also live on the chefler, dracaena, Benjamin's ficus and other ficuses, anthurium, orchids and other flowers.

In addition to this representative of the coccid, a false shield parasitizes on domestic plants. Both pests are related and have a similar life cycle. Their obvious difference is that the shell of the false shield is separated from the body. The shield can be easily pulled off by prying it with a fingernail or a toothpick, while the insect itself remains on the plant. The migration routes of the scabbard and the measures to combat this pest are exactly the same as in the case of the scabbard.

Migration routes, symptoms of infection

A pest can enter a house in a variety of ways:

• the scale insect enters the home collection of flowers along with the purchased infected plant;
• it can be brought in by other pests flying through an open window;
• sometimes insect larvae are brought in by a gust of wind.

If houseplants have spent the summer in the garden, the appearance of a scale insect can be an unpleasant surprise in the fall.

Once on the plant, the parasite sucks in and begins to draw out the cell sap.

You can notice the infection by the following symptoms:

1. Yellowish spots form at the puncture site.
2. When there are a lot of pests, traces of their discharge in the form of honeydew appear on the leaves.
3. Subsequently, a sooty fungus multiplies on this nutrient medium, which further inhibits the affected plant.
4. If the flower is left untreated, the leaf plates turn completely yellow and dry out, and then fall off.
5. The branches become bare, the growth of young shoots stops.

The result can be the death of the plant.

On citrus crops, fruits also suffer from the scale insect.

There is no point in postponing treatment - the pest itself will not disappear. After the flower is cured, measures should be taken to prevent re-infection.

Control measures

If suspicious spots and sticky marks have been found on one of the plants, it must be isolated, and the rest of the flowers must be carefully examined. The body of adult scale insects is protected by a shell, so insecticides may not work on them, but they will kill the larvae. It is advisable to remove sexually mature insects mechanically using a cotton pad soaked in a solution of laundry or green soap. You can also use a soft toothbrush.

It is necessary to carefully inspect the underside of the leaves and the nooks at the base of the stem in order to immediately get rid of the greatest number of pests. After half an hour, the flower is placed under hot water (45–50 ° C) and the soap is washed off for 3-5 minutes. Sometimes these procedures alone, repeated several times, are enough to completely get rid of the scabbard.

Chemicals

The leaf washing method is not suitable for every flower. For example, in dracaena, leaf plates are narrow and are present in large quantities on the plant. Small-leaved ficuses will also take too long to wipe each leaf. In this case, it is more convenient to use insecticides.

The following drugs will help to remove the shield:

• Actellik;
• "Fufanon";
• "Alatar";
• "Karbofos" "
• "Spark";
• Mospilan;
• Fitoverm;
• "Admiral";
• Tanrek.

The listed insecticides have a contact effect and are more suitable for the destruction of larvae.

To combat the adult scale insect, a systemic agent will be more effective, for example:

• "Aktara",
• "Confidor",
• "Confidelin".

All drugs are used in strict accordance with the instructions. Usually, not one, but 2-3 treatments are required.

It is also necessary to disinfect the window frame and the window sill on which the sick flower was located.

During processing, people and animals should not be in the room. After spraying, it is imperative to open the window for ventilation.

Folk remedies

Opponents of chemistry can treat flowers with folk remedies. For their preparation, available substances are used that have a detrimental effect on insect pests:

• Soap solution with kerosene. In 1 liter of water dissolve 40 g of shavings of laundry soap and 5 drops of kerosene.The composition is thoroughly mixed, and then used to wipe off or spray the flower.
• Onion infusion. Chop 1 medium onion and fill it with 1 glass of water. After 2-3 hours, the infusion can be filtered and used as directed. Instead of onions, you can use fresh garlic - 5-6 cloves.
• Infusion of hot pepper. It is prepared from 50 g of fresh crushed pepper and 0.5 l of water. The mixture is allowed to boil and insisted for a day. The infusion is filtered before use.
• Infusion of tobacco. To prepare it, you will need 80 g of crushed tobacco leaves and 1 liter of water. The tool must be insisted for a day, then strain and use for spraying.

Treatment with folk remedies is carried out every 7-8 days until the pests disappear completely. When spraying, be sure to grab the underside of the leaves.

Preventive actions

In order not to bring the scabbard into the house, when buying, you need to inspect the purchased plant, and then be sure to quarantine it, placing it away from other flowers for at least a week. When "moving" green pets from the garden back to the house, you should wipe them with soapy water and then arrange a hot shower.

It is advisable to spill the soil in the pot from time to time with a weak solution of potassium permanganate (at the same time it will serve as a top dressing). Dried leaves or peduncles should not be left on the plant, they are removed in a timely manner. Flowers should not be in a crowded state, under such conditions, any diseases spread very quickly.

The shield is considered a dangerous pest of indoor plants, but you can defeat it. And in order not to create favorable conditions for the pest in your home, you need to monitor the sanitary condition of the flowers and maintain their immunity with proper care.