How do you get rid of scale on Lychee?

[simon_grow]

Hello everyone,

My Ohia Pink and Kaimana Lychee have scale insects on them and I was wondering what is a good way to get rid of them? I've been using a toothpick to scrape them off for the past three weeks but I'm losing patience. Does Spinosad work? I tried insecticidal soap but that didn't seem to do anything. I would prefer organic ways to get rid of them but I'm definitely open to chemical warfare since it will be about three years before I let these trees hold any fruit. Thanks in advance!
Simon

[TropicalFruitHunters]

Simon...I've had great success in ridding scale by using a high concentration of Horticultural oil and spraying the hell out of the entire plant...after the pleasure of squashing some of the little bastards under my thumb first of course!  A couple of applications is all it takes.  This has worked for me on several types of scale.  If there were any branches and leaves that were covered in soot, I washed that off with warm, soapy water first. 

[simon_grow]

Thanks for the advice Ohiojay, is Neem oil the same as horticultural oil? I'll give it a shot.
Simon

[TropicalFruitHunters]

Not the same and work differently.  Here's a little snippet I just pulled.

How Horticultural Oils Work
These oils (except neem oil) kill insects by suffocating them. Oils also kill insect eggs by penetrating the shells and interfering with metabolic and respiratory processes. In addition, oils disrupt feeding by insects such as flea beetles, whiteflies, and aphids without necessarily killing them.

Neem on the other hand is considered an insecticide/fungicide.  Must not suffocate the scale which is the main reason for using the hort oils.  Most insecticides will not reach the scale critters due to the shell, but the hort oil doesn't need to penetrate, just suffocate.  All the better that the little bastards suffer!

[Doglips]

Not the same and work differently.  Here's a little snippet I just pulled.

How Horticultural Oils Work
These oils (except neem oil) kill insects by suffocating them. Oils also kill insect eggs by penetrating the shells and interfering with metabolic and respiratory processes. In addition, oils disrupt feeding by insects such as flea beetles, whiteflies, and aphids without necessarily killing them.

Neem on the other hand is considered an insecticide/fungicide.  Must not suffocate the scale which is the main reason for using the hort oils.  Most insecticides will not reach the scale critters due to the shell, but the hort oil doesn't need to penetrate, just suffocate.  All the better that the little bastards suffer!

I wondered about this myself, I know they say that neem doesn't work on sucking bugs.  I would assume that would be the already attached.  I assume that you would get some protection from wanna-be's, by gumming up their movement.  I know I've irritated spidermites movement with neem.  Be a pest to pests.
Many in the bug world clean themselves, so a direct shot of neem can become part of their lunch.

[simon_grow]

I've read that neem can be used as a systemic if you apply often, it's supposed to work for sucking insects if you use it long term but I only apply it on occasion so I have not had good success with it. Thanks again for the information!
Simon

[fruitlovers]

I've read that neem can be used as a systemic if you apply often, it's supposed to work for sucking insects if you use it long term but I only apply it on occasion so I have not had good success with it. Thanks again for the information!
Simon

I think there are a lot of misconceptions about uses of neem, and that is why some people don't get any results from its use. First, neem doesn't usually kill on contact. It is not a pesticide in the usual sense, and it doesn't smother insects like a horticultural oil. What it does is mess up the insect's reproductive mechanisms, (ruins their sex life) so because insects cannot reproduce populations are eventually lowered. But that takes time and repeated applications. The good thing about neem is that it seems to work at messing up the sex life of a whole lot of different types of insects. (It's interesting to note as an aside that neem is also effective as a proven spermicide on humans!)  Neem oil spray is not a systemic. I have heard some folks say that neem fertilizer if applied regularly around trees can be absorbed by the plant and act like a systemic, but i don't know if there is any evidence of that?

[TropicalFruitHunters]

Thanks Oscar.  I never understood that about neem.  I stopped using it out of frustration because it seemed to produce no results.  Instead, I need to look at the long term.  Maybe some regular applications will knock back the thrips in the GH during winter?  I just hate the smell.

[stressbaby]

I have cleared scale on my lychees but it actually took a combination of hort oil and neem applications.
You can't apply the hort oil as frequently as the neem.  So I would do hort oil about once every 3 months with a neem application every couple of weeks as needed in between.

[fruitlovers]

Thanks Oscar.  I never understood that about neem.  I stopped using it out of frustration because it seemed to produce no results.  Instead, I need to look at the long term.  Maybe some regular applications will knock back the thrips in the GH during winter?  I just hate the smell.

Yeah, i really hate the smell of neem also. But then so do a lot of bugs, including mosquitos. It's a great mosquito repellent and neem oil is good for the skin. You can mix the neem with an essential oil that smells good so the smell is not so bad. Even pure it smells better than DEET!

[Recher]

100% guarantee and if wrong I'll never post again.... no need for white oil or anything but a solution of K-based soap ergo Ivory

[Doglips]

100% guarantee and if wrong I'll never post again.... no need for white oil or anything but a solution of K-based soap ergo Ivory

Ivory for scale?  Good for anything else, other than armpits and dishes?