Cottony cushion scale

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Identification: The body of the female cottony cushion scale is orangish brown, but its most distinguishing feature is the elongated, fluted white cottony egg sac that is attached to its body. The egg sac contains 600 to 800 red eggs and may become two to three times as long as the body of the female; the resulting length of the female plus the egg sac can be almost 1/2 inch.

Eggs hatch into crawlers in a few days during warm weather but take up to two months to hatch in winter. The crawlers are red with black legs and antennae. They settle along leaf veins and begin to produce the white cottony secretion they are known for. In order to increase in size, scales shed their outer skin (molt) and grow a new, larger covering. Each time the scale molts, it leaves behind its white, cottony molting skin. Immature scales look reddish for a short period of time before they begin producing more cottony secretions.

Damage: Like other scales, cottony cushion scale decreases the vitality of its host by sucking phloem sap from the leaves, twigs, branches, and trunk. Feeding can result in defoliation and dieback of twigs and small branches when infestations are extremely heavy. Heavy populations can severely reduce the yield of citrus trees. Like soft scales, cottony cushion scale excretes honeydew, which is usually accompanied by blackish sooty mold growth and ants.

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