Davo,

It sounds like Fly Speck Scale, go to FCBS.ORG and type in fly speck scale - you will get a return from Rob Smythe titled CANOLA WHITE OIL - "Oils aint Oils Soll!",

I have used Rob's recipe and it works very well, I used "Morning Fresh" in lieu of Sils detergent.

Rick

Davo,

Further to my last post, I usually see it on plants that have been overwatered and not maintained, pulling away dead leaves and removing leaf build up around the plant base whilst allowing a bit of air circulation will help decrease Fly Spect Scale.

If you have a lot of plants infected it is probably worth removing a lot of the infected leaves and disposing of them as well as trying Rob's White Oil.

Cheers,

Rick

PHOTO PHOTO PHOTO????
I wouldn't treat anything until your sure what it is.......

Hi Davo - I echo HDD's thoughts.

Although it does sound like Flyspeck Scale, a pic would confirm it. If it is, just follow the advice above and use Rob Smythe's spray as it is effective and doesn'r harm anything else.

Beware of petroleum based white oil sprays as they can harm broms!

Also, if you can't get Sill or Morning Fresh detergents you can also use Woolworths Homebrand (got this right from the horse's mouth).

All the best, Nev.

Yes, we need a picture, it could be a number of things. If they're tiny and hard and scrape off easily with your fingernail, it's probably scale. If they're soft and mostly on tender new growth, it could be aphids. I get a foliar fungal disease on some varieties that manifests as black spots too. That would be seen mostly on the older leaves and is permanent damage, going all the way through the leaf. For that, the best thing would be to cut off all the affected leaves and treat with a fungicide, but I agree with HDD that you should never treat until you're sure what it is. Indiscriminate use of chemicals can be very harmful.

Thanks for your replies so far.

I tried to find a way to put a picture up but couldn't work it out yesterday. (Too much Xmas Cheer aka Beer)
Anyway, I've put a pic up in the gallery now.

That looks like black scale..and its a heavy infestation...good luck getting rid of it.....any new broms will be infected if much care isnt taken

ok..I give up...where in the GW Gallery can I find this pic pls?

Hey Shane.
Go back to the original page and look to the right of "on topic discussions". There is a link to gallery photos for broms there.
Davo - that's a serious black scale prob you have there! There are commercial sprays available in Australia as well - not sure which is best, but others will likely advise.
Good luck.

Cheers,
Kerry

Here's a link to the thread with the photo in it

Here is a link that might be useful: Black spots on Broms

Cool; now I see..and yep I recognise them b......s Rogor for mine..twice a year.

I use Rogor on mine if necessary. Sometimes well meaning friends give me broms with it. Only leave it on overnight and wash off next day.

Hi Davo - That's a pretty heavy infestation you have there. I think it's best to use the safer sprays such as Rob Smythe's Canola Oil Spray first and only if all else fails move onto the "Big Guns".

Also, even if the spray kills them, most will still remain on the leaves, they won't just drop off when dead. They are however easy to remove at the dead stage with an old toothbrush with the bristles shortened by half their length.

If other methods fail, you may want to try Confidor; although flyspeck is not listed as one of the insects it kills, I'm told this is supposed to knock the socks of those little blighters. I haven't tried it myself as I'm not troubled with flyspeck all that much as I suspect it likes the warmer climates better.

Good luck with the treatment, all the best, Nev.

I'm with HDD. Prevention is the best method. Put Merit on any new plants and treat the entire collection on a regular basis and toss any scale bombs that you have.

We do not have a product called Merit in Oz AFAIK.

Any Aussies know?

Imidacloprid is the active ingredient in several widely used insecticides. Merit Insecticide (tm) is used extensively in commercial plant nurseries as well as in lawn and landscape insect control. Bayer Advanced (tm) branded insecticides are intended for the homeowner market (see below) and Premise (tm) insecticide is use for termites and other structural pest control. and many agricultural insecticides. The chemical structure of imidacloprid is a synthetic analog of nicotine, the natural alkaloid found in the leaves of tobacco and related plants. Strong chemical with a light carbon foot print

Thanks HDD...now I find it...we call it CONFIDOR

Merit - I don't think bees like it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bayer lawsuit

I have used Merit granules over 3 years and not a spray..I have bee's every where...Any spray used at the wrong time of day is harmful to bee's, butterflies, lady bugs and other beneficial insects. I have an abundance of all the insects and 14 varieties of lizards

Just a thought...if the chemical approach does not appeal, then a brew of spent coffee grounds & water seems to do the trick. I used to get scale in my plastic house, especially around the areas where plants were crowded, & they remained dry. Flooding the effected plants with this 'coffee' solution has worked for me, & I've seen no side effects with the broms...in fact they seem to like coffee !

I wouldn't get too excited by that lawsuit. Bayer has money and lawyers will chase that. Remember the silicone breast implant lawsuit? The plaintiffs won and even to this day there isn't any credible evidence that those breast implants caused any problems. In fact in late 2006 the FDA approved silicone gel implants for that use.

Still, I don't recommend that you spray Imidacloprid. Use the granules or apply the 1.47% liquid mixture in a way that avoids getting it on anything else.

In severe infestations dipping the plants is the best method. With safety gear it gives control of the chemical...

I have dark , hard specks on all of my bromeliads, instead of using a harsh insecticideadle soap I used 2 tablespoons of Castiel’s peppermint organic soap with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil & 40 oz. of water - should this help ? After reading many posts it sounds like scale - here’s a photo thank you for any help , however they do appear soft & brownish when I scraped them with my nails. Any help would be appreciated. I’ve had them for years handed down to my from my grandmother- thanks in advance on info how to get rid of them & if you think the soap will help