Re: [Aroid-l] scale insect

From: Leslie Georgeson <skinnychick2 at yahoo.com> on 2009.08.31 at 22:00:32(19880) Hi Sherry, I had the same problem on my ficus trees after moving from California, though I had never encountered scales before in my life. They are a very frustrating pest to get rid of. I used an alcohol/water solution (per info I found via the web) and wiped/scrubbed clean every single leaf and stem, which was a painstaking process. The alcohol did not harm the leaves (not even the variegated ones). The scales disappeared and I thought I was rid of them. A couple of months later they were back. Interestingly, they have not spread to my aroids. They seem to prefer the ficus sap. At the time, I did not think to treat the soil, but I'm thinking about pouring a Neem oil solution into the soil (this worked for getting rid of mites on my giant philodendron, and I'm curious to see if it would work for scales). I too would be interested to hear if someone has an effective solution for getting rid of scale. Leslie HTML +More From: Sherry Gates To: AroidSendMessage Sent: Saturday, August 29, 2009 12:46:59 PM Subject: [Aroid-l] scale insect Hi everyone, I have encountered a problem I haven't had to deal with.... SCALE insects. This past Spring, we moved from Beaumont, Tx (zone 9) to the Woodville, Tx area (zone 8), about 55 miles north. I've noticed on a couple of plants(Aroids) that scale are getting on them. Affected so far were Anthurium Big Bill and Monstera del (variegated). Just a couple have been slightly infested and I've immediately taken them to the bathtub and removed them by hand. What's the best way to kill them and prevent infestation without harming my plants? I try so hard to use organic methods for insect control & fertilization, but I'm ready to break out the big guns on this, if necessary. I've never had this problem, so I'm kind of at a loss. What's safe for Aroids, but lethal to the little *%$!!!#$!? I'm keeping a sharp eye out for any of the obvious ones, but I'm guessing that I need to treat the soil as well. What's my best bet? Thanks for any advice, Sherry Gates --0-830936008-1251756032=:10451----==============90990158136148522=

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