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Bugs on Fig leafs and trunk


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 I noticed these the last couple of weeks and have been trying to find out what it is. They look like tiny bugs hard shell like mostly on the underside of leafs but some on top and on trunk. They are dark brown or black hard but break up in you fingers. I do have these spider webs on my screen which I usually knock off but have neglected lately.
I started spaying with a mild dish soap in water with a little oil I cant tell the results yet any clue or suggestions
Also they don't seem to move I looked with my 10x loop and don't see any sign of life.
Sorry about the lousy pictures
SAl

The last 2 pictures are the same but are the best view Didn't know how to delete the first 2

 

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you can't tell from the photo really, but I believe you have Scales.

Here's a tip for taking close up photos, try setting the camera on Macro and get closer to it.


 

Thanks Bass I think you might be right I did some searching And I think it might be armored scale bugs I also see some black smudging on leaves which might be another indication this is what I found on a site

Scale Bugs

In the juvenile or crawler stage, scales are translucent and take on the color of the leaf or stem surface. As they mature, scales develop a hard, dark brown shell that is more visible (the shell protects the scale babies underneath). The Scale bug comes in different colors such as brown, white, and black. And like the mealy bug, the scale bug also secretes honeydew on the leaf which resembles the stickiness of soda pop. Death of infested plants is possible in severe cases, but usually scale insects just feed by sucking plant sap and causing poor, stunted growth. If you see the honeydew, look for the pest.

For control of scale, spray with insecticidal soap, oil soap, or rubbing alcohol with a small amount of dish soap mixed in. Another good method of controlling scale is to wipe, pick, or scrub off the insect. Persistence is extremely important here. These scales are easily scraped off the plant tissue with a fingernail. If these remedies don’t seem to work you should as an alternative, try spraying with rubbing alcohol; that will help break through the outer barrier of the scale and kill it. Mix 1 part alcohol with 8 to 10 parts of water. The main problem you may come across is that the young scale or crawlers are nearly clear and are very hard to locate, so you may want to spray the entire plant surface until it drips, just to make sure you’ve covered all the cracks and crevices. After about five to seven days, it’s best to repeat this treatment to catch any crawlers that you may have missed the first time around. After this is done, you should continue to check your plant once a week to make sure these unwanted guests haven’t returned.

I will keep vigilant in spraying soap If that doesn't work I'll go to the alcohol
Sal

Scale. The ones on the leaves will fall of with the leaves in the fall. For ones on the twigs, high pressure water will remove many, as will rubbing them with you hand. They are farmed by ants, so controlling ants is the most important element in controlling them in the future. Their hard shell keeps most pesticides from affecting them. Pesticides need to be systemic. Other option is a horticultural oil or other substance which will coat and suffocate them.

I also read Parafine oil as a control but don't know anything about this products health risks. I just read it is an approved organic control so I will try any other thoughts

Hi Sal,

I can't help ya with your bug question, but I CAN give you an attaboy on the last two pictures you posted! What a difference.

Thanks for posting pictures.

I'd also say that it looks like a kind of scale.


I recently saw that ants kept crawling over one of my potted fig trees.  My first thought was that there must be aphids, but couldn't see any.  Then I took a really close look and saw that there were scale on the leaf ribs and leaf petioles and on some of the smaller branches.  The ants were farming them.  I didn't want to spray anything toxic, so spent maybe an hour going over every leaf and stem and picking them off by hand.  I was able to get most off without any problem.  I missed a few -- they're well camouflaged -- so whenever I walk by that tree I check if any ants are on it -- wherever an ant stops on the leaf usually means another scale that I didn't see before.  I'm sure that a little scale bug here or there won't be a problem, but they tend to become an infestation if not watched.

What Pit said  SCALE.
I had them on small plant freaked out and uprooted and tossed it 9small plant) then retrieved it after reading post to the thread , got 190 proof grain alcohol and smothered plant with it and killed scales and plant!!! Hereis thread link with pictures http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post?id=3077939&highlight=scale

I sure learned something last season about them.
They scrape of rather easily, if you go the extreme and defoliate ( hand remove) all leaves leaving trunk only then scrape or pick them off rub down trunk with solution that would rid them but i heard they can live in the soil which would or could be another problem. The plant would eventually regenerate itself over time.
Thats extreme to remove all leaves though and would use that only as last resort.
Best Luck.

Martin did you use the alcohol at full strength or did you dilute in water. In my search one recommends to dilute  rubbing alcohol 1 to 8 with water to break down shell. I have used the soap solution the past 2 days but haven't noticed any difference they are not falling off. I will try the diluted alcohol today in the evening as the days are still in the low 90's. one other thing I read and can't remember where that they don't live in soil If they do live in the soil then i will destroy this tree. Thanks again and I had already read your old post and that what really freaked me out sorry you lost that one but I don't want my others infected either so I will monitor closely

Thanks again

I did use at full strength , reason being i did not know any better until too late.
Plant was replaced by a forum member , i was fortunate it was.

Sorry for my late answer; looking at the 'latest' pics,
definitely a scale-buggy issue. You already got some good
advice about the 'oily' bug-smothering solution...

Thanks for those sites one did have paraffinic oil as a treatment and I have that product it is recommended for scale and I've found that it is a natural product. Boy does it look ugly in that pic and on the tree.
Sal

Thanks for all the responses I will treat and update in a couple weeks.

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