Thanks team. Yes definitely sounds like Scale. They are brown/black limpet looking things. Will email my pics in so Jacqui can attach, hope they are clear enough.
Yikes! Thanks Carol and Shorebird – will watch out for these. Shorebird, you could send your photos to trust@onarch.org.nz and I can upload them. Whereabouts are you both?
Scale insects are small flatish oval sap-sucking insects with a brown shell/shield (they look a bit like a little limpet) and attach themselves to stems and branches. I’m in the Far North and get them on my swan plants and also some other woody plants. If not picked off and removed they can certainly destroy your plants.
I think she means these things. I have them also. Just pick them off by hand. Sorry if pic not attached I’m not sure how to attach the two pics I have. In summary they look like black scale. I also wondered if they were dying ladybirds? They tend to be on the branches 99 percent of the time, occasionally on the leaves.
Do you mean aphids, B ron?
Jacqui
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