Garden Pest and Plant Disease Listing - SC

SCAB: This fungal disease is common in areas with summer rainfall. It particularly affects apples and crabapples, causing disfiguring lesions on the fruit, but it affects other plants as well. Control by planting resistant varieties, cleaning up debris in winter, or applying well-timed fungicidal sprays.

SCALE: This is a large group of many-colored insects. They are called scale because they are covered with a shield-like scale under which the hide and feed. They firmly stick to plants, resembling small bumps on leaves and/or stems. Their armor-like cover makes them difficult to control with insecticides. They infest many plants and are often accompanied by ants and sooty mold. Infested plants are weakened, the leaves are distorted or drop, and branches or whole plants can die. Scale insects can be controlled by releasing beneficial insects (any of several species of Aphytis wasps can be purchased through the mail), handpicking, getting rid of ants, or spraying with insecticidal soaps, horticultural oils, or traditional insecticides. Sprays are most effective when insects are in the crawler stage.

SCALE PARASITE: Any of several species of Aphytis wasps used as biological control of some species of scale. They can be purchased through the mail.

SCARAB BEETLES: A large group of insects that includes the destructive plant pests rose chafer, Japanese beetle, and June beetle.

SCHIZONEURA: This is a group of plant lice of the subfamily Pemphiginae. This group contains many species, nearly all of which excrete a lot of flocculent or powdery white wax. Many live on the roots of trees, and others on the foliage and branches. The best-know species is S. lanigera, known in the U.S. as the woolly root louse of the apple, and in England, New Zealand, and Australia as the American blight.

SCORCH DAMAGE: This happens when the plants are grown in hot, stuffy greenhouses, exposed to harsh winds, or bright sunshine on dewy plants. Sunken brown patches will result where the tissue collapses. Be sure to harden off your plants in shade before moving them to less sheltered positions or protect them with flexible mesh or fabric.

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