Cottony Maple Scale is starting to hatch in the Treasure Valley.
Did you know this is actually an insect?
This damage causing insect is a sucking insect that has a straw like mouth it uses to feed itself on the leaves of the host tree. In large numbers they can do serious damage to the tree.
There are many types of scale, but here in the Treasure Valley we mainly find various types of soft scale. The most prevalent form we come across is Cottony Maple Scale. It is characterized by the puffs of cotton ike material of their egg sac. Once the eggs hatch, the babies crawl to the nearest leaf and begin to suck all the nutrients out of it. It is typically at this time that you start to see the leaves turn shiny and a sticky residue appears on anything under the plant. This feeding damages the tree and causes a mess of whatever is underneath.
If you have a Cottony Maple Scale issue, and for more information about a treatment plan, contact us today, as we have 7 Certified Arborists on staff.
