Italian Pear Scale
Epidiaspis leperii
Italian pear scale overwinters mostly as a mature scale. The cover is circular, about 0.06 inch (1.5 mm) in diameter, and light gray, but with a brown peak slightly off-center. Underneath the covering, the female's body is reddish purple. The scale is hidden under moss and lichens and cannot survive without this natural shelter.
This scale does not feed on fruit, but feeds directly on the wood of the tree, affecting tree vigor and causing reduced fruit size.
