Crops Affected: Citrus

States Affected: CA, TX, FL, AZ

Life Cycle: California Red Scale adult females remain fixed under their waxy protective cover throughout their entire adult life. Immature "crawlers" emerge from the female's scale and actively search for a suitable habitat. Once mature, male scales, known as "flyers," emerge from their covers solely for mating purposes. Typically four generations occur each year. Distinguishing California Red Scale from Yellow Scale by appearance alone is challenging. However, Yellow Scale is seldom found on the mature wood of trees, while California Red Scale can infest both wood and fruit/leaves. It's important to note that even after the insect has died, the scale cover remains intact.

Damage: These sap-sucking insects attack all aerial parts of the plant - twigs, branches, leaves, and fruit. They can cause leaf yellowing, leaf drop, twig dieback, damaged fruit, and even the death of the tree.

Season to Trap: March to October

How To Use: Hang trap with attached lure at shoulder height in the affected tree. Replace lures every 30 days through the season, and replace traps when 70% saturated. Adult males are attracted to the pheromones in the lure and the color of the traps in this kit. Once they land on the sticky trap, they become ensnared, never to mate or lay eggs again.

Additional IPM Solutions: Avoid practices that destroy or disrupt native beneficial insects. Timing is essential, as pesticides labeled for scale can disrupt beneficial populations if applied when they are present, resulting in even worse scale after the initial pesticide effect.