![]() Heather observed, documented, and photographed her own garden for a decade before fusing her findings with other researched information to yield the book. There is no obvious compromise for cost-savings and the retail price of $29.95 is perfectly reasonable.īeyond production values, this book is a labor of love for native plants and the insects and other arthropods that thrive in a well-designed and nurtured garden. Images are sharp, the paper durable, and the cover is glossy and professional. That is most definitely not the case here. When I hear “self-published” I often expect poor paper and image quality, and an overall substandard product. Heather’s background in graphic design serves her well in the unique organization and layout of the book. Look for the female scales, highly convex and about 6 millimeters across, on the terminal twigs of the host trees. pini, but many other pines are subject to infestation as well. Scotch Pine and Lodgepole Pine appear to be the most favored hosts for T. Infestations of bark-infesting woolly aphids ( Pineus spp.) appear to be associated with Striped Pine Scale infestations, perhaps making trees more susceptible to attack. It has only recently reached a problematic status along the Front Range here in Colorado. This species ranges widely east of the Rocky Mountains, and is generally more abundant in the northern tier of states. House Finches, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and other birds also feed on these scale insects. The adult female scales are eaten by the moth caterpillar Laetilia coccidivora (family Pyralidae), and both male and female scales are parasitized by the tiny chalcid wasp Coccophagus lycimnia (family Aphelinidae), at least on Loblolly Pine in Georgia (Clarke, et al., 1989). In the crawler stage, the Striped Pine Scale is preyed upon by lacewing larvae and lady beetles. There can be more than one generation in the southern reaches of their range, up to three generations per year in Georgia. They mate with immature females, and those females overwinter in diapauses (not feeding). Males mature in late summer, sprouting wings and flying to females. The male scales are much smaller, and more elongate in shape, than the females shown in these images.Īfter that first molt, the female insects will not move again. Female crawlers attach to the twigs, while male crawlers settle on the needles. They molt (shed their exoskeleton), losing their legs and acquiring longer mouthparts. They may hitchhike to new host trees via insects, birds, mammals, people, or gardening tools and machinery.Ĭrawlers gravitate toward new growth on a tree, settling in after only a day or two. The active stage in the life cycle of the Striped Pine Scale is the youngest nymph stage, known as a “crawler.” Crawlers are very tiny, emerging from the eggs in late May or early June. ![]() In fact, the presence of a scale insect infestation may first be betrayed by large numbers of yellowjackets swarming over an affected pine tree.Įxcessive honeydew deposits also breed sooty mold, which can turn needles and branches black, inhibiting photosynthesis and further weakening a tree. pini secretes copious amounts of a liquid waste product called “honeydew.” This sweet, sticky substance is highly attractive to ants, wasps, bees, and flies. Like other scale insects, aphids, and many other sap-sucking bugs, T. The hosts are pines, mostly two- and three-needle species (needles bundled in twos or threes). and Canada where it is considered a pest species. The Striped Pine Scale is one of eighteen known species in the genus Toumeyella. The much smaller, silky white ovals are pine needle scales in the genus Chionaspis (family Diaspididae). This was actually one of two species of scales attacking the tree. It is these females that overwinter, their shell-like dorsal surface protecting them from the elements. I found the immature female specimens shown here on an ornamental pine in my Colorado Springs neighborhood on November 1, 2011.
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