If you don't want the bad smell of neem oil, spray HO.. HO has no smell, and does not need to be rinsed off. Killing scale with HO is easy. Adding a tea spoon of a good surfactant greatly increases effeteness of both neem and OH.

Oh Susanne, I’m sorry! I actually found ONE scale so far on my lime tree. I had seen ants and was concerned. I removed the scale and then sprayed thoroughly. I have been spraying with a light mixture of HO, neem, pro-tekt, and the rosemary spray you recommended (along with a few drops of rosemary EO). I’ve been doing it more as preemptive maintenance against mites, etc., but it would work against scale as well. Silica, I find that the rosemary EO helps mask the smell of neem.

I'm weird with smell I guess, I don't mind the smell from neem at all maybe I used it so often in the house against flees. Too many animals going in and out and another thing one has to deal with on a farm. But will use the HO for now. On the positive side, did not find more of the wooly monsters. No spider mites yet. I so wish winter would be over but have the feeling it will be a long one.

I found a few scale also. Removed them with my fingernail and then sprayed with cold pressed neem oil + Safer's insecticidal soap mixture. I don't mind the smell either. So far, no other creepy crawly critters.

Oh, Suzanne, I found some mealybug yesterday. The bug season and other pest like Laura's mice seems to beginning already this year. We are all wishing for a short winter.

Cory