Question
HI,
My indoor lemon tree has lots of tiny yellowish worms on it, but what is weird is there are also these popcorn things all over too. Some of them are small, some are almost a half an inch! The whole tree looks icky and i don't know what to do. It may have spread to my other plants. I will send pictures if you need them!
What do i do?

Answer
Hi Laura,

I am not an entomologist, but pictures would really help.  E-mail them to me at:

[email protected]

Follow Up:

Hi Laura,

This is really strange!  I can easily identify your insect as "cottony cushion scale."  The odd thing is that I have never had any experience with this insect until just last week, and that question came from a villa in Rome, Italy.  This is a relatively new exotic species in Florida, but a closely related species has quite a history in California.  The species has been controlled by the vedalia beetle (imported from Australia) in California as early as 1910.  Florida, on the other hand, has had little experience with the species until 2006.  If you reside in California, then you might have some experienced merchant at your local garden center.  If you reside in other areas of the country, you may not be so lucky.  

The following site explains some of the chemical controls, so you may have an idea for measures when you go to the local garden center.    

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r107301611.html

In the mean time, you can try to remove them with an old toothbrush and some soapy water.  These insects, typical of scales, produce a sticky substance called "honeydew", a residue from the insects' sucking on the sugars of the plant.  (It is disgusting, I know.  Wear latex gloves!)

The small reddish brown insects are the juveniles of the species, and they attach to feedings sites.  In most species, the juveniles are easily controlled by an application of rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl alcohol).

These can be transferred to other plants by direct physical contact (plants touching one another) or indirect transfer (animals, clothing, etc.) during the juvenile stages of the life cycle.



Good Luck!


Thanks.