My elephant bush bonsai were overun with scale from the native elms last fall. What’s the best treatnent?
Ideas?
Remove them with tweezers or take a Q-tip, dab the tip in a little rubbing alcohol, then dab the little mealy bug bastards. The alcohol will dry them out basically and kill them
…Or maybe they just get too drunk and go home, I dunno 
. I tend to just use tweezers if there’s only a few but alcohol will probably be more effective if there’s a lot.
I have the same problem on my mini jade. Besides taking off the scale by hands, I’ve tried both systemic or spray insecticide (Bonide). Both seem to work, but scale always sneak back if you don’t pay attention for awhile.
I’ve had success against scale on my Jade by going through and scraping it off, then treating with neem oil. Alcohol and q-tips are great against mealy bugs, but with both, you have to stay on top of it for a few weeks. Otherwise, they come back full force.
Followup on this thread…
There were way to many scale to remove by hand, sapsucking little suckers… with their own shield-home.
18 and 16 inch portulacarias … Outside in summer, inside winter. Had infected my houseplants, too.
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Decided on nuclear opotion…
I used: 1/2 teaspoon imidacloprid per quart of distilled water with one large drop of dishsoap (-- for wetting agent).
Sprayed whole plant lightly, including bugs twice. Sprayed soil, followed by light water spray. Repeated in one week. Treated my houseplats, too (outside…)
2-4 weeks, all scale had dried up and mostly dropped off.
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Remember… use gloves, wash your hands and face after.
Dont spray on windy day. Keep this spray off of flowering trees.
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I , also, root flood treated the several 30 foot tall nearby Norway maples in mid summer, after their flowers had dropped. The scale bugs disappeared there, too. Also got rid the aphids. Label says one treatment per summer.
5 years after, no scale bugs appearent.
Treatmet din’t affect the portulacariai all.
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Was originally looking for timing and soil to repot these plants…
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Bonsai On!
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