New Scale on Croton

This spring a never described species of soft scale was discovered on crotons in Florida. The scale was first found on April 9th at a nursery in Marathon, FL. Since that time it has been found in 11 Florida counties.

Why is this important to Texas growers? Most crotons sold in Texas started off as liners in Florida. Although the scale have not been found in Texas, this is another example of the importance of properly inspecting liners, plugs, and any other plant material you bring into your facility.

For more information on this new scale species see the Florida DPI Pest Alert at
http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/pi/enpp/ento/coccoidea_coccidae.html.

Photograph credit: Lyle Buss, University of Florida