Scale Insects
Scale insects are landscape pests that thrive in our warm, dry, California environment. Scale insects affect many different types of plants, trees, and shrubs causing damage to leaves and sometimes, destroying the tree or plant itself.
Citricola (Coccidae) soft scale insects.

Armored (Diaspididae) red scale insects

Brown scale insects are soft scales that are present throughout the year.

Mealybugs (Pseudococcidae)
Scale Insect Damage
Damage to trees and plants: Female scales insert their long sucking mouthparts into tree branches, leaves, and/or fruit to extract the sap causing trees and plants to appear water deficient with yellowing leaves and fewer flowers and fruit.
Leaf damage due to scale insects.
Pest Control for Scale Insects
Armored Scales: The waxy covering of armored scale species protects them from contact with pesticides. Therefore, timing is important in treating armored scales. These scale insects are best susceptible to treatment in the first stage known as the “crawler.”
Hearts treats for a variety of landscape pests besides scale insects.
Natural Predators of Scales and Mealies are parasitic wasps, birds, ladybugs, lacewings, and spiders.Soft Scales: Some soft scale insects like the brown scale are year-round landscape pests but they can be controlled easily enough. Soft scales can be treated with horticultural oils and remain susceptible to oils during most of their life, especially when they are young. Mealybugs can also be treated (smothered) with oils. Rubbing alcohol helps remove their waxy layer making mealies more susceptible to treatment. Hearts Pest Management treats for scale insects (including mealybugs) and provides free landscape inspections. Please call today to schedule a free inspection and take back your landscape from scale insects and other pests!
Locations
City Services for Pest Control in Los Angeles
Agoura Hills | Northridge | |
Alhambra | Pacific Palisades | |
Arcadia | Palos Verdes Estates | |
Beverly Hills | Pasadena | |
Burbank | Pomona | |
Calabasas | Rancho Palos Verdes | |
Cerritos | Redondo Beach | |
City of Industry | Reseda | |
City of Los Angeles | Rolling Hills Estates | |
Claremont | San Marino | |
Culver City | Santa Fe Springs | |
Cypress | Santa Monica | |
Diamond Bar | Sherman Oaks | |
El Monte | Sylmar | |
El Segundo | Tarzana | |
Encino | Temple City | |
Glendale | Toluca Lake | |
Granada Hills | Torrance | |
Hacienda Heights | Venice | |
Hidden Hills | Walnut | |
Hollywood | West Covina | |
La Verne | West Hollywood | |
Long Beach | West Los Angeles | |
Malibu | Westlake Village | |
Manhattan Beach | Whittier | |
Marina Del Rey | Woodland Hills | |
North Hollywood | ||
City Services for Pest Control in Orange County
Aliso Viejo | Laguna Hills | |
Anaheim | Laguna Niguel | |
Brea | Lake Forest | |
Buena Park | Los Alamitos | |
Capistrano Beach | Mission Viejo | |
City of Orange | Newport Beach | |
Corona Del Mar | Orange | |
Costa Mesa | Rancho Santa Margarita | |
Dana Point | Rossmoor | |
Fountain Valley | San Clemente | |
Fullerton | San Juan Capistrano | |
Garden Grove | Santa Ana | |
Huntington Beach | Tustin | |
Irvine | Villa Park | |
La Habra | Westminster | |
Laguna Beach | Yorba Linda | |
City Services for Pest Control in San Diego
4S Ranch | Rancho Penasquitos | |
Poway | Scripps Ranch | |
Rancho Bernardo | ||
Descanso | Ramona | |
Julian | Santa Ysabel | |
Pine Valley | ||
Bonsall | Hidden Meadows | |
Escondido | Pauma Valley | |
Fallbrook | Valley Center | |
Carlsbad | Pacific Beach | |
Coronado | Point Loma | |
La Costa | San Ysidro | |
Mira Mesa | The City of San Diego | |
Otay Mesa | ||
Cardiff by the Sea | Oceanside | |
Carmel Valley | Rancho Santa Fe | |
Del Mar | San Marcos | |
Encinitas | Solana Beach | |
La Jolla | Vista | |
Alpine | Imperial Beach | |
Bonita | Jamul | |
Chula Vista | La Mesa | |
East Lake Chula Vista | Lakeside | |
El Cajon | Santee | |