Coconut Cream scale infestation help

[cgbills]

OK, so my issue is I have a coconut cream mango. That is about 5 feet tall, but it has scale all over it. It’s infested with scale under almost every leaf. Also, it has the resulting black sooty mold.  I have tried to use neem oil with no result. I generally do not spray, but am willing to for acute cases like this.

My trees are spaced at least 20 feet apart, but I seem to have scale that is starting on a nearby Valencia pride, Edward, and keitt. None of these three are as bad as the coconut cream, but it is definitely starting to take hold and they have lost some of their lower canopies (all about 5feet tall)

So what should I do? Should I use a harsh pesticide on the coconut cream and try to treat the others with neem oil? There’s a part of me that just wants to decapitate the coconut cream and rid myself of the infestation, as I worry about it spreading further.

Finally, have you all found that certain varieties are more susceptible to scale? I have a nearby O15 and sweet tart that seem unaffected. I know keitt, Edward, and coconut cream can have disease issues, but I didn’t know if they were more susceptible to scale also. If so, I’m inclined to top work those trees to something more resistant.

So what should I do to treat it, or should I just decapitate the tree and be done with it?

[Coconut Cream]

Selectively cut off the leaves that are very badly affected. Then get a kitchen sponge or scrub brush and use some soapy water to scrub the scale off the rest of the leaves (top and bottom) and branches. It's slow going but it works. The scale likes to hide at the leaf clusters at the nodes. Discard the affected leaves and branches in the trash.

[Oolie]

I've yet to see a scale infestation that wasn't caused by ants. Scale have few defenses and are preyed upon heavily when ants aren't there to defend them/ spread them around.

If you stop the ants, the scale should cease to be an issue.

[brian]

Do you know what type of scale you have?  Some photos might help

[Amel]

I've yet to see a scale infestation that wasn't caused by ants. Scale have few defenses and are preyed upon heavily when ants aren't there to defend them/ spread them around.

If you stop the ants, the scale should cease to be an issue.

Yes stop the ants, in the meantime, warm water/soap/apple cider vinergar and spray they whole tree, worked for me

[cgbills]

This is what is all over the coconut cream. It doesn’t really have the collections of white spots on top



This is what is on the other trees, they don’t really have anything under the leaves, mainly the collection of white spots

[brian]

I had the same scale on my mango as you have on your Coconut Cream.  I think this is california red armored scale.  Hort oil spray didnt kill the adults for me but dinotefuran (I used Alpine WSG) did it. 

[roblack]

Can spray a lot of that off with pressure setting on hose nozzle, and as mentioned, use soap, oil, and brush for what is left.

Personally, I would either topwork or chop that Coco Cream. It's a great mango, haven't seen/tasted one in a couple of years, despite having a good sized tree. Ours is getting the axe. mmm4 and even finicky Sugar Loaf are better options, but I would only recommend mmm4 of the 3; if you want a good coconut flavored mango.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

try the iv organics tree paint, it worked for me

[cgbills]

I've yet to see a scale infestation that wasn't caused by ants. Scale have few defenses and are preyed upon heavily when ants aren't there to defend them/ spread them around.

If you stop the ants, the scale should cease to be an issue.

I have only occasionally seen a few ants on this particular tree. At one point and time there were ant hills at the base of all the trees, but they seem to have gone away with watering disturbing them. However, what would you recommend dealing with ants?