Crops Affected: Berries, ornamentals, apple, nectarine, pear, peach, cherry, apricot, plum, nut, citrus

States Affected: All states

Life Cycle: San Jose scale primarily overwinters in the "black cap" or "sooty-black" nymph stage, with some mated females surviving in mild areas. Growth resumes in late winter. Adult males, emerging as tiny yellow-winged insects, mate with females under their scales. Females give birth to live young about two months later, and crawlers begin to emerge in early April, settling on plants. With up to four overlapping generations yearly, crawlers persist throughout the season. Highly prolific, one fertile female can produce over 30,000,000 progeny in a single season. Despite generally low mobility, populations on a tree can rapidly multiply within one to two growing seasons.

Damage: Unchecked infestations of this insect can kill the host tree. Infested trees exhibit reduced vigor, sparse and yellow-spotted foliage, with dying terminals. The scales impart a reddish-purple ring on infested fruit. Damaged fruit may suffer a decline in commercial value. Severe scale infestations result in tree and fruit damage, particularly problematic on large, mature trees where achieving effective spray coverage is challenging. Fruit, leaves, and one-year-old wood are key areas for scale detection.

Season to Trap: June to October

How To Use: Hang trap with lure inside at shoulder height near at risk or affected crops. 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. It is particularly important to time sprays when they will affect native beneficials the least. Dormant sprays such as horticultural oil may also be used.