shell type things

[rex]

as the topic says i have these little black shell type bugs i all ways seem too get them these plants are outside grown in pots my plants are pretty buded up so i dont know what to do i dont want to be smokein cemicals any i deas apart from just picking them off by hand any would be good

[Shithappens]

I have these on my lemon scented hydraniums in my yard they get everywhere but i havent seen any sign of damage from them? Some sort of sap suckers i think I couldnt find crap in google about them.

 

But then my attention span aint wh.... hey look a porn link...

[Rhizo]

Correct me if I'm wrong people, but that seems like its Black Scale, aka Brown Olive Scale.

 

SH is right, they are sap-sucking cunts, but that isn't the main issue. The real worry: they secrete honeydew all over the place, which in turn causes sooty mould to start growing, not only does it look unsightly, but it also interferes with photosynthesis. Wikipedia : The fungus itself does little harm to the plant; it merely blocks sunlight and very rarely may stunt a plant's growth and yellow its foliage. Thus, sooty mold is essentially a cosmetic problem, as it is unsightly and can take over a plant in a matter of days or weeks.

 

To kill them off I use a solution of White Oil (to dissolve their armour) and Pyrethrum (for death like action) mixed together at standard strengths, both are organic chemicals and leave no harmful residues waiting to enter my lungs. You did say it was budded up though, in which case there may be no need to get rid of them. Just depends on how bad the infestation is. I have had the problem before at harvest time, I chose to leave them and it didn't seem to effect the plant. Still harvested lots of primo bud, still tasted nice, just needed to pick the odd scale off here and there.

 

Out of curiosity, have you got lots of ants on your infected plant/s?

 

Happy harvesting Rex

[rex]

thanks boys for the replys, rhizo i do have alot of ants ever since it started to rain they have moved right in but i am not going to do any thing i will just scrap them off before harvest so once again thanks for the help you guys rock

[Shithappens]

do everything you can to get rid of them man if they are feeding on your babies thats less getting to your babies where it matters.

 

hose the suckers off with your hose on very fine small jet so you can get them without hammering the plants at least. 15 minutes worth of work could easilly be an extra 15 grams at harvest conservatively (depending on how long they have left??)

 

Did a bit of a google and found this

 

Curtsy of::

www.oliveaustralia.com.au

 

Olive Agencies Information Services

 

- BLACK OLIVE SCALE -

 

(Saissetia oleae)

 

_________________________________________

 

Occasionally a sap sucking insect known as Brown or Black Olive Scale will be seen on olive trees. It is rarely a problem if the trees are in good health. We usually only spray our mature trees for scale every two to three years and only then if they need it. However, certain areas of Australia are more prone to the scale than where we are.

 

The adult females are very easy to recognise on the olive tree stems. They are dome shaped, dark brown to black in colour, and about the size of a match head.

 

The tiny eggs laid under the female look like piles of very fine sand. Mainly during the summer, these eggs hatch into tiny, six-legged, cream coloured 'crawlers'. The crawlers move up the stems and usually settle along the veins of young leaves. At this stage they don't have the impervious shell of the adult and can usually be killed with one or two applications of white oil about two weeks apart. White oil should be used only as directed on the label by the manufacturers (and by your agricultural department) and never during the hot part of the day. It puts an oil film over the young 'crawler' and suffocates it. If applied in the hot part of the day it also stops the leaves from breathing properly and can be detrimental to the tree. The white oil application will also tend to rid the tree of 'sooty mould' as discussed soon.

 

If the crawlers are allowed to live, they will moult after about one month and then migrate to the young stems and twigs of the tree. Here they will mature and lay more eggs and their protective brown shells will be impervious to white oil. Squash the scale between your fingers to see if it is alive. If it is alive, then your fingers will be wet from the juices squeezed out. If it is dead then your fingers will be dry and dusty.

 

Bad infestations of live mature scale may need spraying with an insecticide such as Supracide or Lebaycid. (Important: See note on page 2 regarding "Treatment") In Greece, Supracide is the main spray used for most olive problems. Once again, check with your local agricultural chemical supplier and the product label, for directions.

 

Probably the damage done by the scale itself to the tough olive tree is negligible compared with what happens next.

 

As the scale feeds, the 'manure' they excrete is a sweet, sticky, 'honeydew'. This excreted sticky liquid can finally cover the leaves of the entire tree. A fungus known as sooty mould feeds on this food and multiplies until the entire tree may be covered with the black sooty mould. This is where the real problem lies.

 

The leaves are coated with the black deposit so the sun's light can't penetrate the leaves properly. Therefore photosynthesis can't take place efficiently. Therefore, 'root producing' food is not manufactured in the leaf. Therefore roots don't develop properly. Therefore the poor root system can't collect enough food and water from the soil to send up to produce more leaves which in turn will produce more root. Once the vicious cycle begins, a stunted and unhealthy tree with poor crops is the result.

 

To make the problem worse, sweet 'honeydew' on the leaves also attracts large numbers of ants. It appears that as the ants constantly move over the scale, they frighten away the small wasp parasites which in normal cases would keep the scale under control.

 

The good news is that healthy olive trees don't get the scale, sooty mould and ant infestation to any great extent. More good news is that heavily infested trees are easily fixed.

 

Normally, one thorough spraying of the entire tree and soil below with a systemic insecticide will be adequate. Nevertheless, to be sure, a second spray about two weeks later may be worthwhile.

 

Now, if there is no more live scale, there is no more eating, therefore no more 'honeydew' excreta, therefore no more sooty mould and ants. Over a period of time the dead sooty mould deposit will peel off the leaves from exposure to the rain, wind and sun. The green leaf surface will be exposed and growth will continue as normal. Treat the tree to an occasional feeding of manure and some water and watch its health come back.

 

The following excerpt comes from "Olives - Pest Management Guidelines" (UCPMG Publication 8, 1994). These guidelines cover the major olive problems found in Australia and California and are available for free from their website. (The information comes from California so all references to places, seasons, months and treatments are Californian).

 

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Saissetia oleae

 

DESCRIPTION OF THE PEST: Black scale adult females are about 0.20 inch (about the size of a match head) in diameter. They are dark brown or black with a prominent H-shaped ridge on the back. Young scales are yellow to orange crawlers and are found on leaves and twigs of the tree. Often, a hand lens is needed to detect the crawlers. Black scale usually has one generation per year in interior valley olive growing districts. In cooler, coastal regions multiple generations occur. Black scale prefers dense unpruned portions of trees. Open, airy trees rarely support populations of black scale.

 

DAMAGE: Young black scale excretes a sticky, shiny honeydew on leaves of infested trees. At first, affected trees and leaves glisten and then become sooty and black in appearance as sooty mould fungus grows on the honeydew. Infestations reduce vigour and productivity of the tree. Continued feeding causes defoliation that reduces the bloom in the following year. Olive pickers are reluctant to pick olive fruits covered with honeydew and sooty mould.

 

CULTURAL CONTROL: Pruning to provide open, airy trees discourages black scale infestation and is preferred to chemical treatment.

 

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL: A number of parasites attack black scale, the most common are Metaphycus helvolus, Metaphycus bartletti, and Scutellista cyanea. These parasites, combined with proper pruning, provide sufficient control in northern and coastal orchards. In other regions, biological control is often ineffective because the black scale's development pattern hampers parasite establishment.

 

ORGANICALLY ACCEPTABLE METHODS: Cultural and biological control and oil sprays.

 

WHEN TO TREAT: If infestations are resulting in honeydew, treat the crawlers. In interior valleys, delay treatment until hatching is complete and crawlers have left protection of the old female body. Once crawlers have completely emerged, a treatment can be effectively made in summer, fall or winter provided the scales have not developed into the rubber stage (later second instar, which are dark, mottled grey, and leathery, with a clear H-shaped ridge on the back).

 

TREATMENT: [Due to the chemical nature of the treatments, Olives Australia is unable to recommend dosages or chemicals to be used. Please check with your agricultural chemical supplier as to the suitability for olives, method of application and safety precautions needed for the following: Summer or Petroleum Oil, Supracide or Lebaycid. Californian olive growers use Oil Emulsions, Diazinon 50WP, Methidathion and Carbaryl. Greek olive growers use Supracide as an all-rounder for many olive problems.]

 

Interesting read even though its aimed at Olive growers but has most the info needed by anyone looking for help on these

Edited March 8, 2007 by Shithappens