Odd issue this year, and I wonder what it has to do with our mild, wet summer. I have had mealy issues here for some time, and understand that mealies can be controlled, but not eliminated. They are now apparently a permanent fixture of certain parts of my garden. But recently, it has been the closely related scale insect. Scale isn't nearly the problem that mealies represent, at least where agaves are concerned. They aren't as numerous so don't colonize in the same way, and are easily wiped out with various insecticides. I'm sure systemics would also be far more effective against scale than mealies.
I had seen scale here before from time to time, usually associated with mealies, but not nearly so numerous as this year. Just an oddity really, on which I felt compelled to comment.
Scale
- Gee.S
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Scale
Agave
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".
"American aloe plant," 1797, from Greek Agaue, proper name in mythology (mother of Pentheus), from agauos "noble," perhaps from agasthai "wonder at".
"Some talk the talk, others walk the walk, but I stalk the stalk"