EUROPEAN FRUIT SCALE

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Title: EUROPEAN FRUIT SCALE
Description: LATIN NAME: Quadraspidiotus ostreaeformis (Curtis) LIFE CYCLE: Overwinter on host as immature nymphs (black caps) that mature about pink stage of apple. Live young (crawlers) are produced from June through August. One overlapping generation per year. MONITORING: Inspect twigs and branches during dormant season, and fruit at harvest, for scales. Crawlers can be detected using double-sided sticky tape around one branch per tree (smooth bark to improve adhesion). HOSTS: Fruit trees, ornamental trees and shrubs. COMMENTS: Refer to the description of San Jose scale for distinguishing between European fruit scale and San Jose scale. Crawlers of both scales are yellow to orange in colour, flattened and slow moving. The shell of adult European fruit scale is black and gray whereas that of immature scales is black. BODY LENGTH: Adult - 1.7 mm.