Dealing with pests , specifically scale.

[Multivitamins]

Hello chameleon keepers my post today is about a problematic past known as scale they are a hard shelled sap sucking bug that is recently started to wreak havoc on my heavily planted enclosure.

For contacts I have a 2x2x4 customized zoo med screen cage I haven't planted with several bromeliads air plants two Hoya one nepenthes one Croton one dracania as well as pothos and then our problem child the mini monstera aka rhaphidophora tetrasperma which is a great plant but has recently fallen victim to a pest known as scale.

I've read on previous posts about ways to treat gnats white fly aphids and the world but haven't seen much for scale. They seem to have really taken over on this single plant so I've hard pruned it back by about 75 %

I'm lucky that temps are becoming warmer so if I need to I can remove my chameleon from the enclosure and do some maintenance.

With this in mind amy advice? They don't have the same weaknesses as other pests as their name would imply they have an armor shell protecting them from most soaps or sprays.

Should I just remove the plant and hope for the best or is there something more proactive I can be doing?

 

[MissSkittles]

I would remove the offending plant and treat it with an insecticide soap. To clear up any remaining scale in the enclosure, try lacewings. Parasitic wasps are also a natural predator, but I’ve no idea how they fare within a chameleon enclosure or even if they can be bought easily.

 

[kinyonga]

Most scale insects are attached onto the plant…but some release their grip once in a while. At that point, spraying the branches fairly hard can make them fall off….but I’m not sure what species it works for.

 

[Multivitamins]

I've cut the infested rhaphidophora tetrasperma back to almost soil I've got cuttings that have been propagated outside the enclosure so if it doesn't grow back I can at least replace it. Here to hoping it bounces back from the spring pruning well

Does anyone have insight to a systemic pesticide I have a panther who in 4 years has never eaten or chomped a leaf is this something that is on the chameleon keepers tool kit or something that risk doesn't outweigh reward?

 

[Multivitamins]

Well I finished just in time for my dude to find a comfy sleeping spot and much to my pleasure he went to a spot branch that was cleared in the pruning. He's curled up under a Hoya and airplant.

Normally I'd wait until tail Tuesday but I couldn't resist

 

[Kekepania]

I feel ya! Pests are the worst! I have 250 houseplants & deal with aphids spider mites thrips fungus gnats & mealy bugs, which is in the scale family. I haven’t had the particular ones you are experiencing (yet) but I have heard they are next to impossible to completely 100% get rid of. Which I can see, since I have not succeeded in getting rid of my mealy bug problem. I have come to the conclusion that I just will always have pests. With the amount of plants I have, it’s inevitable anyway. So, I have learned to control them. Best treatment is taking the plant out & putting it in the bathtub or sink & spraying it with a high pressure sprayer (but gentle enough not to damage the plant). Next, pick off every bug you see with your thumb nail (I also use a thumbtack or sewing needle to squish the tiny babies in small crevices that are hard to reach otherwise). Then, take a wet paper towel & lather it up with dish soap (neem oil too, if you have it) & thoroughly wash the plant. Making sure to get in ever crack & crevice. Do this every week for 5-6 weeks & then every month there after. Once you stop seeing them, continue for another couple months to make sure they are gone! That’s key! Because eggs can hatch way after the last live one dies. But I personally continue treatment forever. I also like to spray captain Jacks insecticidal soap spray &/or neem oil right on my plants if I want to do something quick that week. Another thing I do is water with mosquito bits & a pinch of hydrogen peroxide (separate waterings though…I alternate). I do this to get rid of my fungus gnats & the HP is to give oxygen to my roots but I also think (hope) it helps make the plant taste bad to the pests & less of them will be inclined to feed on that plant…there is no real proof to this, that I know of but I have heard other houseplant enthusiasts do this so why not try since it has other benefits anyway. Another thing I do is release green lacewing larvae every 3 months or so (I should do it every 5-6 weeks with the amount of plants I have but I forget to order it, lol). They eat scale so they would be great! And your cham can eat the adults! However, if you want to avoid all this work, just get a new plant & toss this one. But I understand if that’s not what you want to do. I would try saving it first myself. And honestly a lot of my plants stay perfectly healthy & thriving with a minor pest infestation so as long as you keep up with it, your plant won’t suffer. Just careful with the honey dew secretion that they eject out their bottoms. I have heard people say their chameleons were sensitive to it but I personally haven’t had any issues. Just something I heard. Washing the plant weekly like I recommend above, should solve that problem anyway. Good luck!