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Wooly Vine Scale Insect

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Caused By:-     The Scale insect Pulvinaria vitis

Description

This scale insect is common throughout the UK, Europe and America feeds on a wide range of woody plants. It occasionally attacks grapevine, peach and currants and survives by sucking the sap from the host tree or vine. The plant is weakened and sometimes black sooty mould forms on the excreted honeydew. In the Spring the female deposits eggs in white waxy fibres protruding from under its shell, which is slightly convex with wrinkles and up to 6mm long. This shell is lifted up at one end as the egg mass gets larger. The eggs hatches in the summer and the larvae or nymphs feed until the Autumn when they move tot he bark to overwinter as adults. Picture by United States National Collection of Scale Insects Photographs Archive, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org.
See these other Scale insects Azalea Bark, Azalea Cottony, Beech Bark, Brown, Eucalyptus Gumtree, Euonymus Mussel, Hemispherical, Horse Chestnut, Hydrangea, Juniper, Mussel, Oleander, San Jose, Scale, Soft, Viburnum Cushion, Wisteria.

Control

A winter tar or oil wash when the plant is dormant will help to eliminate the scale, but as they are protected by the scales it will not be 100 percent successful. Spraying when the eggs have hatched with a systemic and knock down insecticide may also be needed.

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