It's crazy!!!

I have never had a problem with scale ever...This is a first year, and yet it is the first year I have no spidermites. Not yet anyways. Everyone I know around here is having to battle with scale..Must of been a banner year for them....Sheesh.

I have been using my own stuff, and I hope it works...It seems to be thus far...

I think I am just glad that we are smart enough to catch these problems before they get out of control and keep them in check anyways...

So many people have no clue why their plants decline so rapidly, until they are dead, and yet we at least know what to look for and save ours from ther demise....

For this I am greatful...If what I am using works, you bet I will be back to share my success...Good luck. If you have had that plant near any others for a bit, it is a good chance they all might have one here or there too..

To be honest, I choose to have scale and mealies, than those darn mites you can never see, until the life is almost sucked dry out of most leaves and plants...And, they come back no matter what you do..

Mike..:-)

I knocked the last scale off mine about 4 yrs ago with dormant oil. It hasn't been back since. This was that white cottony cushion scale. I've had some scale on the stone fruit since but nothing on the citrus.

The Fruitnut

If you intend to eat the fruit, do not use a systemic insecticide. Systemics are picked up by the roots and will poison the fruit. Buy a good product like Bayer Advanced which has a somewhat pleasant odor. It does a good job.

Thankyou much tsmith and fruitnut! Will do..

Mike..:-)

Again, I must repeat that it is imperative that you all become good label readers. Be certain that any product you purchase can be used on plants that are kept in the home. No one wants season-long exposure to toxic fumes.

tsmith, you should be more specific when you recommend a Bayer Advanced product. There are many. Please name the active ingredient in the product you are referring to or the specific name of the product. ( I did a look-around for Bayer Advanced product that could be used for this purpose and didn't come up with anything...so I need your help.)

I use Malathion and oil, but that is outdoors. Little buggers haven't returned in three years, either.

I've owned a Persian lime for about 12+ yrs. Scale has been an annual problem after spending summer outdoors. In the past I've used insecticidal soaps, Ultra Fine all season oil, Organocide, alcohol & Q-tips with limited success (more like a slowdown if anything at all) A couple of years ago, a local nursery shared a little known bug killer: SIMPLE GREEN diluted in a spray bottle 30 parts water to 1 part Simple Green which is the dilution rate listed on the label. (Be sure to use the original Simple Green, they've come out with lots of new formulas in crazy colors). With the plant outdoors or in the shower, spray to the point of runoff on the entire plant. Scale this year is especially bad and I tried Pyola at the suggestion of a friend (it contains both pyrethrins and oils) and that hasn't worked at all. The first time I tried Simple Green, every scale I examined had been killed. I sprayed again 2 weeks later to catch any missed or newly hatched. I did not have scale again until it went outdoors the following summer. IMO Simple Green is a heck of alot safer than malathion and systemics which for me would make the fruit inedible.
Amccour, do you get fruit from your Key Lime in zone 5? I never had much luck with getting key limes to harvest; I always thought that I just didn't get enough hours of sunlight early enough to keep any fruit on the tree. I gave it up with the scale before I knew about Simple Green.

Sallidz, Do you use 1 part of ready mixed (from spray bottle) SG or 1 part of concentrated SG to 30 parts of water?

Sorry! I should have specified the SIMPLE GREEN CONCENTRATE (THE ORIGINAL). I buy the green SG Concentrate and mix 30 parts water to one part SG in an empty spray bottle. A quart spray bottle is perfect 1 oz SG concentrate to 30 oz water. It should be clear with just a tint of green. Spray the entire plant to the point of run off, spray the soil surface and pot too. Spray again in a couple of weeks to catch any buggers that were well hidden or in another stage of life at the first spraying. Let us know how it works for you. It's the only thing that has really worked for me.

I know this is kinda old discussion, but wondering if anybody tried with succsess without harming the tree?