Tiny, white, woolly beech scale

BEECH SCALE - Cryptococcus fagisuga (woolly beech scale) is the main vector for beech bark disease. It is a small insect with piercing-sucking mouthparts and produces one generation per year. Eggs are laid around the beginning of July and hatch into crawlers four weeks later. These crawlers move around until they find a suitable place to pierce the tree. The small crawlers can also be spread by wind. The Adult females are covered in a white waxy exudate that gives a heavily invested tree a woolly appearance. Treatment with insecticide is best done during the crawler stage.