Platycerium (Staghorn) Ferns As Epiphytes
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Prehistoric Platycerium Fern , Scale Pest
For A More In Depth Look At Scale Insects And The More Than 7,0000 Species Visit Scale Net . At This Strictly (Scale) Insect Site You Will Find A Load Of Information Not Presented , In This Section , About The Insects Along With A Few Images Of Scale . The Nursery Will Not Be Presenting Images Of This Insect , Because These Insect Pest Are (Killed) When They Are First Noticed .
Within The Insect Community Of Scale There Are (Two) Forms , A Hard Shelled Form And A Soft Shelled Form . The (Mealy) Bug And (Brown) Shelled Scale Falls Under The Soft Shelled Form And The Mealy Bug Is The Easiest To Control . The Hard Shelled Form Is A Totally Different Story , When It Comes To Controlling Scale Insects . Both Of These Scale Species Are (Sucking) Insects , Which Sucks Juices From Your Prehistoric Platycerium Ferns And If Allowed To Get Out Of Control And Become Over Populated They Can Even (Kill) The Plant Species . The (Three) Most Commonly Found Soft Shelled Scale Insects , Which Have A Tendency To Attack Prehistoric Platycerium Ferns , Are The (Brown) Shelled Scale , The White (Ash) Scale And The White Cottony Like (Mealy) Bug .
When Performing Treatments For These Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Pest Always Wear A Pair Of (Chemical) Gloves , For Safety And Do Not Just Check The Plant Species You Are Treating But All Plant Species , Within The Cultivating Area And This Includes Any Ground Cover You May Have . If You Are Or Must Perform The Treatments Within Your Greenhouse Open The Doors To Receive Ventilation , But It Is Best To Take The Species Outside If You Only Have A Few To Treat . Here At Madagascar Tropicals The Prehistoric Platycerium Ferns , The Complete Greenhouse And All Ground Cover Within Are Checked For Scale And Even With This Task Being Performed Almost Every Day Its Still Not Good Enough , Because The Insects Keep Re Appearing From Time To Time .
Mealy Bug , Scale Pest
This Form Of Platycerium Fern Pest Can Easily Be Controlled , But You Must Be Consistent And Have A Control Solution In Place . By Consistent And Control Solution I Mean Checking The Species Quite Often For New Born Mealy Bugs (Consistent) And Knowing What Insect Killer To Use And At What Intervals (Control) Solution . Treating The Platycerium Ferns Or Area One Time Does Not Control Or Kill The Pest Nor Will It Give You A Control Solution , Because It Takes Time And Patients To Develop A Control Solution For A Prehistoric Platycerium Fern Pest Situation .
There Are A Few Ways To Control Mealy Bug Scale , But Here We Will Only Speak Of The Control Solutions Used At The Nursery .
Water Wash Solution - This Solution Can Work Outside , But Not Inside A Greenhouse . When This Solution Is Used Outside There Is Still The Possibility That The New Born Crawlers Will Land On The Ground And Can Walk Or Be Wind Carried To Another Plant Species Even If The Species Is Not A Platycerium Fern , But Will Eventually Return To Your Platycerium Fern Collection . If The Force Of The Water Hitting The Mealy Bugs Is Strong Enough It Will Break The Sucker Off That The Insect Has Implanted Into The Plant Species , Which Causes The Mealy Bug To Starve To Death . The Water Solution Does Not Kill The Baby Scale Crawlers , But Will Spread Them To Other Plant Species . These Pest Are Still Searching For A Good Home And Grocery Store And Have Not Yet Embedded Their Sucker Into Your Prized Platycerium Fern .
Systemic Insect Killer Solution - At The Nursery We Use A Super Light Solution Of Insecticide To Kill Mealy Bug Scale Which Is Mixed At A Rate Of (1/4) Teaspoon Per 32 Ounces , Of Water . We Sometimes Use Alcohol , Coffee , Sevin Or Malathion Insect Spray To Perform The Task . This Mixture Is Placed In A Spray Bottle And Then The Species Is Sprayed All Over , Making Sure To Spray Behind Its Shield Fronds . The Sprayed Solution Is Allowed To Dry And Then The Species Receives A Full Water Wash . Treating The Plant Species , With A Solution Along With A Water Wash Is Repeated Every (3) To (4) Days Or Until No Mealy Bugs Are Found , On The Platycerium Fern . Treating A Prehistoric Platycerium Fern , Which Is Infested With Mealy Bug Scale , In This Manner (Kills) The New Born Insects And The Water Washing (Breaks) The Suckers Of The Adult Insects . We Also Make Sure To Check All Plant Species Located Within The Cultivating Area Of The Infected Species And Treat Them If Necessary .
Soft Brown Shelled , Scale Pest
This Type Of Soft Shelled Scale Insect Is Not All That Easy To Control Or Kill , But It Can Be Accomplished With Time And A Little Patients .
With This Type Of Scale The Crawlers Cannot Be Seen , With The Naked Eye . When They Plant Their Sucker Into Your Prize Plant Species And Begin Sucking Juices Within (Two) Days They Appear As Light (Yellow) Dots , On The Plant And Have Formed A Waxy Shell Over Their Body . This Waxy Shell Is What Makes Them Hard To Kill , Because The Shell Acts As A Protector From The Elements . As The Scale Continues Feeding And Matures The Shell Becomes A (Brown) Color And Then The Insect Begins Releasing Baby Crawler Scale From Under Its Shell . These Baby Scale Are Called Crawlers , Because They Are Able To Move About Which Will Last Until They Sink Their Sucker Into A Plant Species And At That Time These Crawlers Are Unable To Move About And Become Stationary .
The Control Solution Is First Begun By Isolating The Infected Species From All Other Prehistoric Platycerium Ferns . The Species Is Then Completely Sprayed With A Systemic Insecticide Such As Systemic Insect Killer (Isotox) Also A Dormant Oil Can Be Used Such As Horticultural Oil Spray Or Vegetable Oil , But Be Very Careful With The Chemical Insect Killer . The Horticultural Oil Spray Or Vegetable Oil Plugs The Air Holes Around The Waxy Shell , Which The Scale Uses For Breathing , Therefore Causing The Scale To Suffocate . Make Sure To Spray Behind The Species Shield Fronds And Have Your (Chemical) Gloves On , While Performing This Task . The Insecticide Mixture Used Is (1/4) Teaspoon Of Insecticide To 32 Fluid Ounces Of Water And Sprayed With A Spray Bottle . The Platycerium Fern Is Then Allowed To Dry Back . Spraying The Species , With The Insecticide , (Kills) Any Baby Crawlers That Have Not Planted Their Sucker Into The Platycerium Fern .
Madagascar Tropicals A Platycerium Fern Nursery
Altadena , California - Los Angeles County , USA (626)-791-3600
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