How to Get Rid of a Scale Infestation on a Ficus Tree

Removing Visible Crawlers and adult scale

• 1

  Remove the immobile adult scale by scraping them off with an old toothbrush soaked in soapy water. This should be done as carefully as possible so as not to damage the plant structure beneath. Often the scale insect's young -- called crawlers -- are found beneath the hard shells of the adults and will need to be dealt with.

• 2

  Remove the young crawlers from the plant using mild soap and water, but not detergent, which is too strong for plants. The plant can be doused with soapy water repeatedly and then rinsed with clear water until all of the visible crawlers are washed away. Large ficus trees will probably have to be sprayed with a clean insecticide sprayer filled with soapy water. An ordinary garden hose can be used to rinse the tree. This will likely need to be repeated once a week for several weeks as new crawlers hatch in order to be certain that the crawlers are gone.

• 3

  Plant outdoor ficus trees near flowers to motivate the scale insect’s natural enemies to be close at hand at all times. Also, dust on the leaves of the ficus will cause the scale insect’s natural enemies to stay away. This means that the ficus leaves should be kept as dust-free as possible at all times.

• 4

  Prune away branches with excessive scale infestation. This is helpful if the infestation has considerably damaged the branch. This action will reduce the adult scale population while also improving the appearance of the affected tree. Pruning a few of the top branches from the tree can improve the situation as well, by allowing the heat from the sun to reach the inner branches where the scale is likely to be found. The heat from the sun will kill the adult scale insects and the crawlers as well.