Scale bugs on ficus tree ...help !

Hello

I have an indoor potted Ficus which is about 25 yrs old and is my pride and joy.
Every year some of the leaves turn yellow and a few drop off ,nothing to worry about but over the last week or two the number of falling and yellowing leaves is alarming... on closer inspection there seems to be white "scale bugs" on the underside of the leaves,close to where the leaf joins the branch :(
How do I get rid of the little beggars ?
They don't seem to be in one particular area on the tree more "all over" but not every leaf/branch (so far)

What should I do ?

Thanks

 

I've found that the best thing to do is either dab them with oil or scratch them off!!!

There is some spray that you can buy but unfortunately I don't know what it is called. If there are not all that many, just dabbing some oil (you can use sunflower, rape, .......) with a Q-tip is the easiest.

If you are not squeamish, you can scratch them off with your nail. This is what I used to do on the Oleander many years ago and with the Kitchen Bay as well.

Hope this helps you.

 

Thanks but, well, as I said the "plant" being 25 yrs old is over 7 foot tall so you can imagine the amount of leaves on it ! it would be impossible to "scratch off" the scale bugs from each infected leaf !... well I supose I could if I had nothing to do for the next year or so ... but seriously, I was told to spray it with a mix of rubbing alcohol/water & soap ( 1part to 10 parts to "a few drops") which I've just done, and to repeat a week later.... we'll see... I'll keep you posted...

 

If its possible to move it outside I'd spray it with any systemic insecticide

 

Hi Pete

Yes it's possible to "heave" it outside,which I've done, and as said above I've given it a really good spray with the alcohol/water/soap mixture... I'll bring it back in latter (as it might suffer from shock ! very delicate creatures ficus) and I'll wait a little to see if the spraying has been effective... but what is a "systematic " insecticide ?
I'll certainly try it if the later doesn't work....
I've got an insecticide for aphids,thrips & white fly, a kind of "general insecticide" which is : about 95% colza oil and 5% pyrethine (whatever that is).... would that be ok to use ?

 

I'll give anything a try, the ficus has been around for 25 yrs and has been everywhere with me... sounds silly I know but I'd be really sad if it died.... could these little b*ggers kill it ?

 

Helen I misled you in my original post, The word is "systemic", its absorbed by the plant into its sap so that by feeding on the plant the bug kills itself almost.
Not sure whats available in Belgium, probably the same as over here but the names will be different.

You alcahol spray could well do the trick, its just that with a substance like that it will only kill on contact.

I'm not very well up on todays insecticides and what is availabe, most now seem to be made out of all kinds of wierd natural substances.

 

My mistake ! you did say SYSTEMIC... I'll see if I can find it over here... and certainly will keep you posted on the effeciveness of the spray mixture I used...

 

Not your mistake, mine, I nipped in there and edited it when I noticed what I had done:o

 

:wink:

 

perhaps I should edit my posts more often ... I cringe at my typing mistakes !