Controlling Scale Insects
Episode: # 9 02/06/07
Presenter: Judy Horton
Judy often gets asked about sooty mould fungus on plants. It is this horrible black coating that spoils the leaves and makes it much harder for them to function properly. You can scrape it off but unless you get rid of the insect that is causing it, the mould will always come back again.
Yes, even though it is a fungus, it is an insect pest that is basically responsible for the problem. Pests like aphids and scales suck sugary sap from the leaves, but they only use a small percentage of it. The rest comes out of their bodies as waste and forms a sticky layer on the leaf surface. The sooty mould fungus then grows and feeds on this sticky layer.
The best way to get rid of scale insects is by spraying them with a Scale Gun, which is a combination of white oil and pyrethrum insecticide. It will control aphids as well, or you can use systemic Confidor because it gets right inside the plant.
Then, once the pests have gone, the sooty mould will gradually flake away.
Here is one final tip. Speed up the process by scrubbing gently with an old toothbrush. Don’t brush too hard though; just enough to remove the layer of soot.
Yates
www.yates.com.au
Featured Products
Yates Scale Gun
Presenter: Judy Horton
Judy often gets asked about sooty mould fungus on plants. It is this horrible black coating that spoils the leaves and makes it much harder for them to function properly. You can scrape it off but unless you get rid of the insect that is causing it, the mould will always come back again.
Yes, even though it is a fungus, it is an insect pest that is basically responsible for the problem. Pests like aphids and scales suck sugary sap from the leaves, but they only use a small percentage of it. The rest comes out of their bodies as waste and forms a sticky layer on the leaf surface. The sooty mould fungus then grows and feeds on this sticky layer.
The best way to get rid of scale insects is by spraying them with a Scale Gun, which is a combination of white oil and pyrethrum insecticide. It will control aphids as well, or you can use systemic Confidor because it gets right inside the plant.
Then, once the pests have gone, the sooty mould will gradually flake away.
Here is one final tip. Speed up the process by scrubbing gently with an old toothbrush. Don’t brush too hard though; just enough to remove the layer of soot.
Yates
www.yates.com.au
Featured Products
Yates Scale Gun
- Controls aphids, scale, thrips, caterpillars, ants, mealybug, whitefly and leafhoppers on indoor and outdoor plants, citrus, roses and ornamentals.
- Effective combination of low toxic pyrethrum and petroleum oil.
- Pyrethrum provides fast knockdown of insects and oil controls hard to kill pests such as scale and mites.
- Easy-to-use trigger pack - no mixing required and no mess.
- Used to control aphids, azalea lace bugs, greenhouse thrips, mealybug, soft scale, hibiscus flower beetle, sap sucking bugs, psyllids.
- Systemic action - absorbed through the foliage and moves throughout the plant to control insect pests - works from the inside out.
- Good for spot treatment of pests.
- Low toxic, water based formulation.
- Soft on beneficial insects such as ladybirds.
- Easy to use trigger pack - no mixing required, no mess.
AS SEEN ON 
