[Okapi]

My 10 gallon vert that has been up and running for a year is infected with scale. I had a cymbidium orchid from a box store in another room that came down with scale within a few weeks of me buying it. It is long gone, but ever since then ive had scale on the broms in my vert. Their flying stage is TINY. They are like 1/2 mm sized brown gnats, and when they reproduce in the tank, the upper 2 inches of the tank is a swarm for a few days. The first time it happened, I thought nothing of it. I didnt know what they were, and my imitators were actively eating them (the flying stage, not the scale stage), so I didnt worry about it. Since then, they have killed many of the broms in the tank, and have infected all of them. I guess ill have to completely tear down the tank and toss all the plants? The only reason I havent yet is because Im afraid that there might be tads in the broms. Any advice?

Ive already read:
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/11101-scale-bromeliads.html
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/27364-brom-scale.html
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/plants/13771-scale-plants.html

 

[JP41]

well i can tell you this scale doesnt fly, there is a crawler stage but most likey when you see scale already past that stage and lost its legs and in a armored stage. sounds like you have a different type of pest.

 

[TDK]

I've had the same problem and don't see any way to erradicate. Iread on one website that myabe using a tiny wasp A. melinus. Do some research and see if this may work.

From UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA ENTOMOLOGY AND NEMATOLOGY DEPARTMENT

The armored scale life cycle is generalized as follows. The eggs are laid underneath the waxy covering and hatch over a period of one to three weeks. The newly hatched scales (called crawlers) move about over the plant until they locate succulent new growth. They insert their piercing-sucking mouthparts into the plant and begin feeding. Female scales lose their legs and antennae during the first molt. They molt a second time before reaching maturity and do not pupate. The cast skins (exuviae) are incorporated in the scale cover. Male scales go through two additional molts and pupate underneath the wax. Adult males are tiny two-winged, gnat-like insects without mouthparts. In some armored scales the adult stage is reached in six weeks, and there are several generations per year.

 

[Brotherly Monkey]

I never heard of a flying stage to scale, either, but I have little experience with them. Might be thrips, or even a combination of the two

 

[billschwinn]

There is another way scale spreads and that is through ants. They actually farm the scale, moving them to different plants, they feed on the waste product(secretions) of the scale insects. They also do that with aphids.

 

[Hornet]

i too had never heard of flying scale but a quick google search confirmed it, males are winged and fly

mature male scale insect - Google Search

 

[Psyko]

i would remove your frogs into a temp tank and look in all of your broms for tads and try to remove them. after a thorough check of all of your broms i would co2 bomb the tank and leave the co2 in the tank for a couple of days and if everything goes well everything in the tank should be dead except your plants

 

[Okapi]

i too had never heard of flying scale but a quick google search confirmed it, males are winged and fly

mature male scale insect - Google Search

Same here, thats why I wasnt alarmed the first time I saw the swarm

Here are google images of the life stages:

 

[Brotherly Monkey]

i would remove your frogs into a temp tank and look in all of your broms for tads and try to remove them. after a thorough check of all of your broms i would co2 bomb the tank and leave the co2 in the tank for a couple of days and if everything goes well everything in the tank should be dead except your plants

The CO2 might not get at the eggs, so you might need to bomb consecutively for a few weeks. Also, I would probably treat any houseplants you have (or at least give them a good looking over), being that once treated, they could be easily reintroduced

 

[Okapi]

found this link online, ill have to research these more when I have time
Purchase Our Good Bugs Online - GreenMethods.com