I have 2 dwarf Orange trees and it seems like they are dying. It seems like there is some type of parasite all over on the trees. They are most easily seen on the leaves. Here is a link to a pic to see what I am talking about. http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/6269/dsc02409ql6.jpg Thank you
An adult scale can be seen in the middle of the picture. There are a number of younger ones on the same leaf along the mid-vein. The sticky honeydew excreted by this sap sucking pest is present on the leaf to the lower right. Treat with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap.
Thank you for the reply. I did a little reading on horticultural oils and one type was vegetable oils. Would that be the same type that I use for cooking (like Soybean oil), or would this be a special type that is sold especially for plants? Also, which horticultural oil would you recommend or are they all the same?
I refer you to [thread=38852]this[/thread] recent thread as I have no personal experience with using oil. Scale is not specifically mentioned but is one of the pests which the oil is effective against.
Horticultural oil is one of the best ways to deal with scale. The only time a regular insecticide can kill them is the very short time between egg hatch and when they settle on one spot forming the scale covering. These tiny crawlers can be killed by spraying with Safer soap or a pyrethrine type spray. Once the scale forms insecticides just roll off. Oil on the other hand clings all around the scale and suffocates the insect inside. I use it on my tree and one application generally does the trick. Go to a nursery or big box store and get ultrafine oil. Spray when it is shady. Hot sun and oil will burn the leaves. It should take care of your problem very quickly. Good luck.
