Yes, it's scale. I have no idea how to get rid of it. When it showed up on any of my plants, I just dumped them. :-P
Ugly, isn't it?

Looks like scale to me. Sorry it won't go dormant in winter. They can overwinter themselves easily by hiding in little nooks and crannies.

I wonder if a systemic insecticide would work. I wouldn't use it on anything I would eat though.

Also some say if you dab alcohol on a q tip and touch them with it then that will control small infestations and trimming the effected areas.

Oh, boy. It's on my heliopsis seedlings - plain green and variegated (not planted out), and I found it on my sea holly seedlings too, which have been planted out. Man, I hate to have to toss them! Was looking forward to blooms next year.

Thanks, ladies ....

PV

We were cross-posting, Carolyn. I read that a small infestation can be controlled with hand-picking, insecticidal sprays or horticultural oils.

The basil is getting dumped, soil and all. I'll wash the windowbox with bleach. The others - they're still in milk jugs (not the sea holly), so maybe I can pick and scrub them off, isolate the plants and hope for the best. Same with the sea holly, but that's planted with a hunk of rose campion - don't see anything on that ... yet.

At least it's the end of the season; if the plants come back next year, maybe I can get ahead of it all in the spring. Fingers crossed.

PV

I think dormant oils control scales, or at least some of them.

Karen

Neem oil, and that is safe to use on eatables!! That stuff is good for a fungicide, insecticide and pesticide.