[bsank]

I've gotten scales in one of my vivariums and since have removed all of the infected plants. I was wondering if anyone else has had any problems with these little guys and what was done to remove them from the tank. I don't want to spray any chemicals in the frog tank. Right now I'm opting to wait for the starvation of any stranglers. I don't think they'll get any nutrients from the background and cypress wood. Any suggestions would be helpful, thanks.

 

[amphibianfreak]

What is scales?

 

[Jason]

I was talking with a local orchid greenhouse that has been in the business for over 25 years about them because my Mother has them on her orchids. They told me there was not much you can do other than spray them down with a chemical treatment to totally get rid of them. NOT GOOD FOR FROGS!

They has told me scales are not bad for the plant unless they get out of control. One simple way to reduce numbers is take a q-tip with rubbing alcohol and dab them which kills them.

Do your frogs eat them?

 

[Scott]

Scales are basically motionless. I always wonder how the heck they get where they are cause you never see them move.

My guess would be that they move when they're very tiny. They get settled and never move again. So I don't think they're good frog food.

The alcohol thing (to kill them) is probably not going to work over the long run. I have no idea how big they have to be to reproduce, but unless you get every single one before it can reproduce - there will always be a "next" generation.

s

... Do your frogs eat them?

 

[Guest]

If i remember correctly, the larvae crawl around until they find a nice spot to sit and suck plant juices, then they become the adult which is motionless. I know, its not very technical but thats what i could remember. so back off! :lol: Just kidding.

 

[andersonii85]

I have had a few plants with scale problems and usually just use a wet paper towel to rub them off once a month or so. They really aren't as destructive as one would think- certainly not the worst pest I have ever had in my terraria.

Justin

 

[Guest]

Where do these scales come from? I have a newly planted vivarium, less than 2 weeks old, and one of my broms, i noticed about 3 days ago, has scales on it!! I was wondering what they were, but I was pretty sure.. I scratched them off, then tried the alcohol thing. Well, I'll see what happens. The scales aren't visibly there, but there are little brown spots where they used to be. It looks like two of the spots are a bit better than they were. But I'm not really sure if the plant will regenerate to a point where those spots will disapear. I'm really wondering where on earth they came from to begin with. None of my other plants have it. It seems I've only had problems with these broms I got, the other brom had that problem with the dying leaves due to being waterlogged, I didn't realize my water feature was out of whack.. But I think that's fixed now, and hopefully that brom with recover.

 

[Guest]

the scales actually contain a larvae of a tiny white moth type thing. the parasitic wasp encarsia formosa will kill them and then provide food for your frogs as its eggs hatch out the dead scales. it is completely harmless to other animals.

 

[Ryan]

Way cool information Luis!! Gonna get some now, I dont have a real problem with scales, just have one or two everynow and then, but dont wanna let them get out of hand.

 

[Guest]

encarsia

you can buy them from some garden centres or online. here is one company that definately has them http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/Harr ... PC-510.htm
the pictures on this page or of the tiny things that make the scales not the wasps.

 

[Guest]

Wow, that's pretty cool. I like how people can find a natural, biological way to control their pests. But one thing, won't they all die if there aren't many scales in the tank? This seems like something you would use in a greehouse, not a smaller enclosure. And would frogs end up eating the wasps? Or would they avoid them entirely? I was thinking of ladybugs, which someone said would control scales as well, but if there were no more scales or aphids, those would die off as well, right? Hmm...

 

[OneSmallFrog]

The scale insects I've seen in my orchid collection are not larval moths, but Brown Soft Scale, which remain scaly their entire lives. Here's an info page:

Scale Factsheet

Interestingly, there is a wasp predator for this type of scale also!

Since I grow in my home, I don't use pesticides to control them -- I just rub off any I find with my fingers, then wipe the plant's leaves with a paper towel sprayed with a solution of 50% water, 50% rubbing alcohol, and a few drops of dish soap. In a viv I'd skip the soap. I have to really pay attention to the leaf edges and right next to the veins. It's hard to get every last baby scale, so I have to go over any infected plant several times over a few weeks to hope to get rid of it entirely.

Bev