Owen Tree Services - Resources
Lecanium Scale
DESCRIPTION OF LECANIUM SCALE
Several species of soft scales, referred to as Lecanium scales, feed on the sap of shade trees and shrubs. This rounded insect is brown and can range from 1/8 inch to 1/6 inch in size. In many cases it is the signs of the scale infestation that is noticed before the scale itself is detected. Lecanium scale will produce large volumes of a liquid waste called honeydew. The honeydew gives leaves a shiny appearance and will often attract honeybees and wasps. A black fungus called sooty mold will also grow on the honeydew.
LIFE CYCLE OF LECANIUM SCALE
Lecanium scale overwinters as a nymph on plant twigs. The insect matures in the spring and females lay eggs in May and June. Each female scale insect is capable of laying 1,000 to 5000 eggs. Egg hatch usually occurs in May or June. The newly hatched scale insects, called crawlers, migrate to the leaves where they feed throughout the summer. In late summer they move back to the twigs where they spend the winter under a thin, waxy shield. There is one generation per year.
HOW TO CONTROL LECANIUM SCALE
Controlling Lecanium scale insects can be challenging and treatments may need to be repeated over several growing seasons. Proper timing is essential to controlling scale insects. Tree spraying will achieve maximum impact if the treatments are applied in June or July. Dormant oil treatments can be applied in late fall and early spring for overwintering nymphs.
Systemic insecticide treatments with Imidacloprid (Bayer Advanced Tree & Shrub Insect Control) can be applied as a soil drench around the base of affected plants. This can be applied anytime during the growing season provided there is adequate soil moisture to allow the plant to absorb and translocate the material.
Proper cultural practices are necessary to reduce plant stress. Scale insects thrive on stressed plants. Fertilization and watering will increase plant health and vigor. Creating or enlarging mulch beds will reduce root competition with adjacent lawn areas.
Photo: James Solomon, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
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What Our Customers Are Saying
Tim Nyquist
Responsiveness, Punctuality, Quality, Professionalism, Value
The folks at Owen Tree Service took such good care of my family. We had a massive tree fall on our house and cars, completely upending our lives, and Dave Kidd, Kay Sicheneder, and their whole crew working on it not only did a great job evaluating and removing, but also spent a good deal of time chatting with us, consoling us, offering advice, and generally putting our minds at ease. I sincerely appreciated everything they did for us and would highly recommend them if you’re looking for a good tree service. I can’t thank them enough.
Andrew Lapeer
I hired Owen to do a tree removal and some pruning for me. Extremely happy with the care they used on my property. I am also using them for my lawn fertilization this year. Arborist seems very knowledgeable.
Brandon Rowley
Professionalism
Great people and they always do a nice job. We have used Owen Tree Service for years for various things like tree trimming and lawn care.
Tonia Burns
Responsiveness, Professionalism
Called about having a 17ft tree placed in our yard. Received a call back from Trish you was incredibly gracious with her time and information. Unfortunately, trees that are over 6ft can't be planted by them. However, Trish gave me more than enough info to be confident about having a tree of that sized planted. I'd definitely call and use them for any other future services.
Rick Stomps
Responsiveness, Punctuality, Quality, Value
Owen Tree Service did an outstanding job. The crew trimmed up the treeline and removed several. Did a great job of cleanup too. Extremely professional, informative, helpful & friendly. Thanks so much to the great crew - Ron, Skip, Tim & Doug ... you were incredible. Thanks so much. I'll tell folks about you! (BTW - the guys deserve a few extra $$)
Linda Janiszewski
Punctuality, Quality, Professionalism, Value
We are very happy with the work they did. We had a large birch tree trimmed that had power lines on each side. There were 4 workers and they worked well together as a team to get the job done. They cleaned up the yard around the tree and did a professional job. They also asked us if we liked it before they left. We would highly recommend Owen Tree Service!