This document is a description of a scale insect written from its perspective. In 3 sentences: Scale describes itself as a small, unattractive insect that lives under a shell on plant leaves and stems. It has thousands of offspring that feed by sucking sap and sometimes excrete honeydew tended by ants. While scale likes many common plants, its dislikes predators and pest control methods that can be used to reduce its populations.

1. Scale
Hi, my name is: Scale
Describe yourself: I’m tiny (about 2mm) but that’s
not a problem as I’m really unattractive. I am a
single mum with up to 2000 kids, but don’t let that
put you off! I have a nice hump… a small round shell
I guess you would call it. It can be hard or soft, waxy
or armoured and comes in white, brown or black. It
gets darker the older I get. I’m shy so I live
permanently under my hump. I am easily overlooked,
and sometimes people think I am just part of the
plant!
Hobbies: Hanging out along the stems and veins of leaves and sucking sap. I sometimes lay eggs
and then sit really, really still and watch my thousands of babies wreak havoc! If I am a soft scale, I
just love exuding honeydew!
Likes: I adore citrus and most woody plants, but I am also partial to succulents and vines. I don’t
mind gardenias, holly, many house plants, hibiscus, apples, pears and plums. I have a really great
relationship with ants and they really look after me.
Dislikes: Predatory mites, green and brown
lacewings, predatory thrips, spiders, small birds and
parasitic wasps. I despise home made vegie oil soap
mixes or store bought alternatives.
You’ll know you’ve met me when: Your leaves
start turning yellow and dropping off or you can see
me and my girlfriends all over your trunk! If I exude
honeydew, black sooty mould may turn up. Then your
tree looks like it’s covered in charcoal!
Old School Control Methods: White Oil,
Malathion, Rogor, Malascale
Breaking up ain’t hard to do… if:

2. Encourage predatory mites… this is pretty easy, especially if you use compost, manures and mulchs
your soil! They love this stuff.
Buy some predatory bugss
Give me a blast with a high pressure hose in the morning, three days in a row.s
Get out the vacuum, and suck me off the plant… yep, some people actually do this!s
Use home made vegie oil soap mixes or store bought alternativess
Tell my friends to stop coming around! Ants look after scale, so spreading tansy around the gardens
will stop the ants, and seriously reduce the scale around!
Pay your neighbour’s kids to come round and wipe us off with a stick!s
Dab us with rubbing alcohol… man, that burns (but it won’t harm your plantss
Photographs:
Pic 1: http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/LSO/scales.htm Desc: The delightful brown soft scale
Pic 2: http://www.bugsforbugs.com.au/product/24 Desc: Red Scale… common but gorgeous
Pic 3: Elaine Shallue, SGA Desc: Gum Tree Scale with ant friends!