please help with identification of this bug - what can i do. What does it do??? So far I have been sqishing them, but it is a lot of work. I prefer an organic non toxic method if possible. it is a virburnum bodnantense Dawn. alos the second picture what are these on our Sambucus Nigra many thanks
Scale and aphids , may be able to spray the aphids off with a water hose. Seems to be a lot of these black aphids around this year.
I had scale on my olive tree. I scraped off each one using a q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol. The alcohol will kill the insects, but care has to be taken in using minimal alcohol and avoiding getting much on the plant, as it can damage the tissue. It's a labour intensive job, but it worked. The baby scale insects are very tiny when they are released from under that tortoise looking thing, and travel to new areas of the plant to grow their own shells. So you have to keep a watch for new ones and keep removing them until they're all gone. If you look carefully, you'll notice these before they turn a dark colour, as they start out smaller and lighter in colour, blending in with the stem of the plant. If you can remove them at that point, there's more chance it hasn't released any young yet. The dark ones are "mature".
