Species Coccus hesperidum - Brown Soft Scale

2.5-4 mm

body flat and oval, light brown to yellowish with brown stippling

Worldwide

The scale gives birth to pale yellow crawlers. Males are uncommon.

3 to 5 overlapping generations a year.

Soft brown scales secrete large amounts of honeydew and the adjoining foliage becomes heavily coated with sooty mold. On occasions young citrus trees can be killed by high populations of soft brown scale from feeding and honeydew production. Scale feeding on older trees results in reduced tree vigor, twig dieback, reduced yields, and lower fruit grades due to heavy sooty mold. Soft brown scale can be found infesting a wide range of ornamental plants.

The scale is heavily parasitized by several different species of parasitic wasps.

Fact sheet

Bulletin Southern California Academy of Science

Oregon State U.

U. Cal. IPM