Magnolia Scale: A Landscape Nuisance
If you own a Magnolia, you know how beautiful they can be in the early spring. You may also know about Magnolia Scale
- one of our more stubborn insect pests. This pest doesn’t even look like what you would think an insect should look like - appearing as large waxy bumps on the twigs. Sometimes it may go unnoticed for months, until the plant starts to look weak and off-color, or a sticky residue appears on surfaces underneath the Magnolia. 
This residue (honeydew), actually the sugary droppings of the scale insects, often harbors sooty mold. Sooty mold appears as a black coating on branches, leaves, and underneath the tree. It doesn’t actually feed on the tree itself, just the honeydew left by the scale insects.Sooty mold can, however, diminish the tree’s health and vigor by reducing photosynthesis- the tree’s ability to make its own food. Sunlight can’t penetrate the blackened leaves, and eventually they are shed by the tree.
Good cultural care is important to the health of your tree. Prune out dead or severely infested branches whenever possible. And sooty mold can sometimes be washed off with a strong stream of water. As always, maintain a vigorous plant by watering during drought. And the most sensible cultural control of all- when you purchase a Magnolia, make sure it is not infested with scale already!
