These pesky armoured scale insects are the smallest of the scales and shielded by a wax shell formed from their old skins… sounds itchy.
Their armour makes them resistant to chemical sprays, but what can we do?
This is where Chilocorus Nigritus, a tiny black ladybird, comes to the rescue. It hunts them out (literally!) and consumes 5–7 scale insects a day.
Females lay around 200 eggs and larvae get to work right away. These ladybirds thrive at around 24°C and are the only natural solution to armoured scale insects and a powerful ally to us eco-gardeners and infested plants.
When these armoured scale insects arrive, they just stay where they are, happily sucking away at your plants. They prefer their offspring to leave home soon after hatching. As with all scales and mealybugs, it’s often our fault they’re in the greenhouse or conservatory, as we likely carried them in on a plant or cutting.
Armoured scale insects breed 3 to 4 times a year and males only live a day to do their job before dying. Despite this, infestations can spread rapidly!
That’s why Chilocorus Nigritus is our natural hero – it’s a little black ladybird (about 3mm) that sniffs out and consumes armoured scale insects daily, even more if the temperature reaches a balmy 24°C (though they can tolerate less). As they move around, they’re constantly lay eggs too. The larvae take around five days to emerge. Oh, and they’re starving and ready to feast – a true chip off the old block.
These shiny black ladybirds are the only natural control for armoured scale insects. The alternative would be to live with them or discard infected plants, and we really hate doing that!
