How to Use scale insect in a Sentence

scale insect

noun
  • Stay alert for mites and scale insects to wash off as needed.
    — Tom MacCubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, 7 July 2018
  • The scale insects and sooty mold should slough off over a period of weeks.
    — Orlando Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2023
  • Alas, that plant is no more, having succumbed to scale insects.
    — Boston.com Real Estate, 25 Dec. 2019
  • Pests Mealy bugs, spider mites, and scale insects are common pests of lemon trees.
    — Nashia Baker, Martha Stewart, 31 Mar. 2026
  • These shoots should be pruned since ants will carry scale insects onto the plants via ground-rubbing leaves.
    — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026
  • Mealy bugs, scale insects, mites, aphids, and citrus leaf miner are all attracted to lemon trees.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
  • The same early detection applies to pests such as aphids, bark beetles, and scale insects.
    — Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Aug. 2025
  • The action will reduce scale insects, mites, aphids and other pests that feed on the plants and carry diseases.
    — Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Jan. 2018
  • That’s sooty mold, a fungus that gets started in the sticky honeydew residue left behind by aphids and scale insects.
    — Neil Sperry, ExpressNews.com, 16 Jan. 2020
  • Check for scale insects, and if needed, apply a natural control.
    — Tom MacCubbin, OrlandoSentinel.com, 19 May 2018
  • This particular scale is one of the largest of the soft-scale insects that attack trees by sucking plant fluids and sap.
    — Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 30 Aug. 2019
  • The life of the cottony cushion scale insect reads like something from the most ridiculous of tabloid newspapers.
    — Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 15 July 2011
  • These sprays are great for controlling mites, aphids, leafhoppers, whiteflies, and hard scale insects.
    — Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 2 Mar. 2024
  • Would inkberry be a good replacement for my cherry laurel that is always covered with white scale insects?
    — Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, 3 Oct. 2019
  • The same fungal disease that keeps scale insects under control can also target coffee rust.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 2 Jan. 2020
  • But our findings indicate that overall, the idea of large-scale insect declines remains an open question.
    — Matthew D. Moran, The Conversation, 10 Aug. 2020
  • Pests Blotchy yellow spots on leaves may be a sign your orchid has an infestation of mealybugs or scale insects.
    — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Nov. 2025
  • Actually, the ants may be doing you a favor by feeding on the excreta from the scale insects.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 June 2026
  • Mealybugs look like cottony white masses, scale insects appear as brown bumps on the leaves, and spider mites leave sticky webbing behind.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026
  • Aphids, mealybugs, and scale insects are particularly fond of lemon cypress trees, but these pests are treatable.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Dec. 2024
  • Fungal infections, leaf spot diseases, scale insects, and spider mites are among the most common culprits.
    — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 15 May 2026
  • The black coating is formed when the fungus lives on the excreta from scale insects usually on the stems and undersides of the leaves.
    — Tom MacCubbin, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Spring beauty is fleeting, and so is the opportunity to stop scale insects that live on the bark of magnolia trees and suck their sap.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2023
  • Most likely scale insects are sucking juices from the foliage and stems which produce excreta to support the growth of the sooty mold fungus.
    — Orlando Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2023
  • The Azteca ants, in turn, are motivated to protect the scale insects from the beetles, since the former are a source of food for the ants.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 2 Jan. 2020
  • They are known to feed on fungus, particularly the mildew type and possibly arthropods such as mites, aphids, and scale insects.
    — oregonlive.com, 26 July 2019
  • This disease is a result of an interaction between a scale insect and one of two Nectria fungal pathogens.
    — Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 25 Jan. 2026
  • When there are heavy infestations, the entire branch may be covered with scale and appear purple and rough from numerous scale insects.
    — Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 30 Aug. 2019
  • Tea scale insects tend to congregate on the underside of the leaves, but will appear on the upper surface if the infestation is heavy.
    — Contributing Writer, NOLA.com, 29 Jan. 2018
  • If the bumps on your basil stem do not rub off easily and are not associated with honeydew (a sticky, clear residue), then scale insects are not likely.
    — Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 30 July 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scale insect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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