Scale insects can infest and damage many of the plants we grow in our landscapes and indoors. They feed on the sap of plants, and a large enough population can weaken a plant, damage it or even kill ...

Since they overwinter, you can scout for them at any time of the year. Carefully peel back the top coat of the scale to identify if it is still alive. Alive, they will be pink, orange or light ...

Q: Everything under one of my large potted plants on the patio is turning black. What isn’t black is sticky. What is wrong with this plant? A: From the pictures you sent me, we know that the black ...

Oystershell scale is a very secretive little insect that usually goes unnoticed. But despite it’s tiny size, this insect can cause significant damage in trees or shrubs. Some gardeners aren’t even ...

Tea scale insects beneath the foliage causes patchy yellowing on camellia leaves. Camellias are a beautiful part of our East Texas landscapes during the winter and early spring. Unfortunately if you ...

We enjoy magnolia trees for their beautiful early spring flowers, but in summer they sometimes get downright ugly. Gardeners may notice a fuzzy black coating on branches or a sticky glaze that ...

Many gardeners, as well as the horticulturists at the Chicago Botanic Garden, had issues with magnolia scale last year, and it’s a pest to watch closely for in 2025. The Garden’s plant health care ...

I got an email with some pictures a few years ago asking me about magnolia scale, which is a topic I have written about for a number of years. I feel confident the insect was magnolia scale. The ...

Q: I have a backyard prickly pear with a cochineal infestation. Does that need to be treated? Do these guys ever go away on their own? Are they even actually a problem for the cactus? A: Cochineal ...

Crape myrtles, an ornamental tree popular in landscapes throughout the state of Delaware, are prized for their beauty, exfoliating bark in shades of silver and cinnamon, and long-lasting flowers in a ...

There are many types of scale insects that potentially can become a pest on a number of landscape plants in North Florida. But the home gardener may not recognize these small-scale critters as insects ...