The false oleander scale, Pseudaulacaspis cockerelli, gets its name from a resemblance to the oleander scale, Phenacaspis cockerelli.  The name, however, is likely misleading as false oleander scale is known to infest over 100 tree and shrub species.

First identified in Florida in 1942, the false oleander scale is now considered a pest of great economic importance to the nursery and landscape markets throughout the warmer regions of the southeastern United States. Individual scales are 2-3 millimeters and commonly feed on the top surfaces of leaves and is a leaf feeding armored scale.

Susceptible Hosts
Magnolia grandiflora, magnolia (most economically important host for arborists);

M. virginiana, sweetbay; Aucuba japonica; Strelitzia spp, bird-of-paradise; Hedera helix; Cornus florida, flowering dogwood; Taxus spp.; Nerium oleander, oleander; Michelia figo, banana shrub; Elaesgnus spp.; and Sabal mexicana, a palmetto (Merrill 1953, Johnson 1991). This scale is also an important pest of Mangifera indica, mango (Crane 1994).

Pest
Pseudaulacaspis cockerelli

Symptoms
* Yellow spots on leaves
* Defoliation of heavily infested leaves

Signs
* 2-3mm while round scales, often dozens per leaf and often in clusters

Life Cycle
* First generation eggs hatch over 2-3 weeks as the new flush of growth is emerging.
* Crawlers move to the new year’s emerging needles to insert it’s mouthparts through the stoma to feed and begins to form new armor.
* 3-5 weeks later the males emerge as winged adults.  Females emerge as wingless adults.
* After mating, the females grow for a couple more weeks and lay 20-60 tiny, yellow, oval eggs under the armor.
* Eggs overwinter under the armor.

Distinguish from Look-alikes
The false oleander scale is similar in appearance to many subtropical scale insects including oleander scale, Poliaspis cycad scale, and magnolia white scale. Identification can be difficult without a hand lens but is not significant in terms of management. The clusters of small white specks on the surface of leaves and the presence of honeydew are good indicators of false oleander scale.

Distribution
Found throughout Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and likely in other warmer areas in SE United States.

Management Strategy Summary
False oleander scale is an armored scale that has crawler stages which feed on new flushes of growth.  Insecticide applications must be timed to ensure high titer levels are within the tree at the time of these new flushes of growth. 

Apply Transtect up to 2-3 weeks prior to crawler emergence with the first flush of growth in the spring.  Foliar spray applications should target new growth flushes.  Transtect soil applications have provided good results on leaf feeding armored scales such as False Oleander Scale, Pine Needle Scale and Elongate Hemlock Scale.

Foliar spray applications should target new growth flushes.  Reputable arborists have treated magnolia in late summer/early fall and have had carry-over effects with acceptable control the next season.  For evergreen hosts such as Magnolia or Hemlock this may be a viable application timing, for deciduous species Transtect should not be applied in late summer/early fall for next season control.

University of Florida