Cottony Maple Leaf Scale

Cottony Maple Leaf Scale

Cottony maple scale and cottony maple leaf scale are insects that can often form high populations. They attack a variety of trees and not just maples. The white egg sacs easily attract attention and the developing scales produce honeydew which can be dropped on cars, sidewalks and lawn furniture lying under trees. If the honeydew is allowed to remain, sooty mold will grow on the material, turning the surface a gray-black color. Occasionally, heavy outbreaks of these scales occur, usually on weakened or stressed trees. These outbreaks can cause the death of numerous small branches and occasionally the death of a tree. Spray treatments recommended, but they must be timed to the crawler stage. Like most scale insects, the nearly mature insects, the adults and the eggs are more resistant to pesticides