Cottony Scale on Shrubs: Systemic or Physical Removal

White cottony masses on shrub leaf undersides = cottony scale. Honeydew → sooty mold. Hard to control once mature.

Options

Systemic: Imidacloprid (Merit/Bayer Advanced) soil drench—if plant on label.
Physical: Wash off with insecticidal soap (small plants).
Oil: Horticultural oil dormant spray.

Expect annual management on susceptible plants. Monitor crawlers (mobile young) in spring for best spray timing.

Pests: Magnolia Scale and Sooty Mold: Systemic Treatment; Cottony Growth on Hibiscus: Woolly Aphids or Scale?; Mysterious Granules Under Sofa: Not Insect Droppings; Scale Insects on Cattleya: Alcohol Removal and Systemic Treatment; Identifying Your Orchid: A Dendrobium Care Guide; Identifying and Treating Scale on Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema); Controlling Scale Insects on Spider Plant and Yucca; Identifying a Tall, Trunkless Palm-Like Plant; Euonymus Scale Control: Seasonal Oil and Insecticide Schedule; Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti): A Weed with Soft Heart-Shaped Leaves and Sunflower-Like Seed Heads

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