Black/Brown scale on plants

[Greybeard]

G'Day all

 

What is the best way to get rid of black scale insects on my plants.  I have tried "eco-oil" which is supposed to get rid of them but they have increased in number.  My plants are all grown outdoors.

 

Cheers

Greybeard

 

[Vape]

hi Grey Beard, 

 

i suffered these pests a couple of seasons ago.  . apparantly Ants farm these scale, to harvest the 'honey dew' (scale piss), 

 

so I recommend you stop the ants accessing your pots, maybe a smearing of vasoline on the base of the stems, to stop them traveling up depositing the scale.

 

i dont know of any sprays that will kill them.. good luck i hope i helped.

 

peace!

[billygoat]

I have never had these... but last summer I had an inundation of mealy bugs on a hedge at home.

 

apparently they are also farmed by ants.

 

after trying some pesticides with out a lot of luck, I tried (just cos it was laying around) Automotive window tint cleaner.  i got it free when I had the windows in the ute tinted.

 

worked a charm and didnt harm the plants... might be a worth a try instead of pesticides.

[defluxtor]

G'Day all

 

What is the best way to get rid of black scale insects on my plants.  I have tried "eco-oil" which is supposed to get rid of them but they have increased in number.  My plants are all grown outdoors.

 

Cheers

Greybeard

Scale is an insect similar to mealy bug but it has a protective covering not unlike a helmet that makes it hard for predators to eat them. This protective covering is permeable allowing the insect to access air to breath. The way that pesticide oils work is by smothering these protective covers making them airtight thereby suffocating the insect. This means that you have to thoroughly coat all surfaces to achieve a result. I'm not sure if ECO OIL is just a fancy eco friendly sounding name for pest oil but I bet money it is. White oil and pest oil is basically petroleum oil (usually 840 gm/l) so I'd be interested to know what the active constituent of ECO OIL is. A very good suggestion has been made about stopping ants accessing the plant. Stop the source of a problem or a vector can really break a cycle. Back this up with a sensible spray program and you should get on top of it. Warning be careful using oils in hot weather so if under lights maybe raise them after spraying or outdoors give them some protection for a couple of days. Cheers Pat.

[Frank Reynolds]

Active Constituent(s): METHYL ESTERS OF CANOLA OIL FATTY ACIDS 

 

from http://www.apvma.gov.au/advice_summaries/37762.pdf

Edited February 13, 2014 by Frank Reynolds

[Greybeard]

Thanks to all those who posted such prompt replies.  The eco-oil uses canola oil instead of mineral oil so I thought it would be more "Friendly" to the environment, besides that i am not keen on smoking engine oil residue.  I will try again and this time give them a good dousing.  Will also try the vaseline on the stem ( these are big enough to be called trunks ) on the plants.  Once again thanks for the suggestions.

 

Cheers

Greybeard

[defluxtor]

You can make your own "organic" oil for pest use also using vegetable oil and washing detergent. Plenty of recipes on the net. Cheers Pat.