Scale on my cymbidium
 

Can anyone tell me how severe this scale infestation is? I've never had scale on any of my plants before and I haven't even purchased anything new recently! I did not see this on the leaves a week ago when I last watered. I am going to buy isopropyl alcohol asap and I have a spray bottle of neem oil I've never used before. Anyone have any tips? I also checked the plants near this one and they seem fine but is there some way to tell before the white masses and scales develop? The only early sign I had for this plant was the bottom picture which was an old back bulb with suspicious dots on it. I just cut it out and removed a bunch of dead leaves too. I am going to keep this isolated. Any other advice would be very much appreciated.


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I know nothing about scale (no experience with them, so far) but I can see what seems to be mealy bugs in the second photos.

I'm not sure I would call it severe, but left unchecked and it would be. The fuzz are immature ones and should be removed. Same with the visible spots, those are the females with their hard shell and they lay eggs under there where they are protected. Remove any you can see and then treat. It will need weekly treatments for at least a month and constant checking. I find scale almost impossible to eradicate without a pesticide such as imidacloprid. I also use Malathion as a surface and contact killer. I hate it and find it the worst of all pests. On a cymbidium it is challenging because of the many leaves and wrinkly papery bulbs. I was given a Cym recently that was quite covered in it. I should have tossed it but am trying to treat it.

Scale is a pest you need to "get serious" about. Alcohol and neem are just going to turn this into a battle that may never end. Your best option is a systemic such as Imidacloprid or Talstar One, the latter being far more effective against Scale, in my experience.

I just found a bit of it on my other cymbidium (which is the same plant that I divided in June). They don't sit close to each other. I'm starting to think they had scale the whole time, almost a year that I've had it, and the one is just showing symptoms cos it's not the happier of the two. How does one apply an insecticide? Also how can I treat my other plants as a way to ward off further infection?


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Also can I apply the neem oil now since I have it and an insecticide later or will that just disturb my plant a whole ton? Thanks


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Hell yes. The white plagues are all very bad. Mealy, cushion scale,, cochinilla, thrips and another that I have no idea what it is.
At the sight of any of them it's whip out the imacloporid and spray it around with gay abandon. Chemical megadeath is the only thing they understand.

The dose is 1 cc per litre of water. I'd advise adding the concentrate to the water, and not vice versa. I have had some go all funny when put into an almost empty spray. I suspect there was a residue it reacted with.. but it's easier that way.

Spray well. If there is any chance of bugs in the potting medium, I allow the solution to realy run into that. It's a contact kkiller as well as a systemic.

Respray afye two weeks, and if you are paranoid, or it's a bad dose, I'd use a third dose after another 2 weeks.

I would definitely soak the soil as well. I would be concerned that the neem oil will coat the leaf with oil a bit and then prevent other more serious pesticides from penetrating and doing their job.

Thanks everybody for your replies. Is this a good source of imidacloprid? There are so many brands!

Amazon.com : Bayer Advanced 701285 3-in-1 Insect Disease and Mite Control Concentrate, 32-Ounce : Bayer Tree And Shrub Systemic : Patio, Lawn & Garden

I'd also like to mention that I'd be using this in the home, I have absolutely no outside space to use, including for spraying. Is that safe?

I can't get it in Canada but it seems a number of people on this forum use that and like it.