Question
Hi, My tree has something that sounds like wax scales from your reply to another post. I have a Chinese Elm. It is very large, huge to be more specific going up to the power lines and spread out almost 30 feet. I have on some of the branches little white domes that look like blood when squashed. I think it's the wax scales you mentioned to someone else. However, with the expanse of this tree I don't know how far along it is (so far I only noticed on one section to the side that I was trimming) or how far up they've gotten. Any suggestions if there's a way to tackle these myself without hiring help which we can't afford? Thanks so much!  

Answer
This sounds like European elm scale.
The European elm scale is a reddish-brown to purplish scale surrounded by a conspicuous fringe of white, waxy material. They sometimes resemble mealybugs. The mature females are about 1/8" in diameter. The crawlers emerge in late spring and summer and are yellowish to dark brown. The scales feed on twigs and branches as well as leaves, and overwinter as immature crawlers in bark crevices of small branches and branch crotches. Feeding scales produce honeydew, a sweet, sticky material which attracts honeydew-feeding ants and may become covered with a growth of black sooty mold. Infested trees may show yellowing leaves and early leaf drop, followed by death of twigs and branches. Severe infestations may cause extensive damage. The European elm scale feeds only on elms.

A soil application of the systemic insecticide imidacloprid can provide season-long control of soft scales and certain other species such as European elm scale. Imidacloprid is not effective on armored scales and certain other species such as cottony cushion scale. Imidacloprid is available to both homeowners (Bayer Advanced Garden Tree & Shrub Insect Control) and professional applicators (Merit and others). Imidacloprid can be effective when applied to soil during late winter to early spring or before rainfall or irrigation are expected to facilitate root absorption of the insecticide. Summer application to stressed, heavily infested trees is less likely to be effective and is not recommended.

Check with your local nursery/garden type store for a systemic insecticide for scales that can be applied to the soil.