Red Scale is a pest of citrus in many citrus producing countries. Excessive populations develop rapidly, particularly in late summer, and can cause twig dieback, leaf drop and a decrease in the amount of fruit packed for export.

Life Cycle
1.Both males and females go through 5 stages before reaching the adult phase.
2. Life cycle is accelerated at high temperatures (between 28 - 38ºC). Thus hot, dry summers are ideal for Red Scale development.
3. One female can produce up to 150 active crawlers over a 6 to 8 week period.

Economic Damage
During the feeding process (by means of a feeding tube) toxins are introduced into the plant tissue and sap. These toxins poison surrounding cells and eventually leads to the death of leaves, branches and in some cases the whole tree (especially young trees). Such damage has a negative impact on yield.
1. Red Scale is a cull factor on the packing line and will decrease the export packout percentage.
2. Early infestation of Red Scale on young fruit causes rind pitting of the fruit which can also decrease export potential.
3. Heavily infested fruit often falls from the tree prematurely.

Seasonal History
Red Scale activity starts increasing from November, peaks in December/January and begins to decline April/May depending on the use of chemical and/or biological control measures and the presence of beneficial insects.