Pulvinaria floccifera
Pest description and damage Scale insects are small (less than 0.125 inch in length) soft insects that live beneath waxy scales. These insects are often identified by the shape and size of their scales, the description of adult males and females, immature crawler stage, color of eggs, and host plant preferences. The most visible stage of the cottony camellia scale insect is the adult female that resembles a flat 0.125-inch diameter scale often found on the underside of a leaf. Emerging from beneath the adult female is an oblong cottony white egg mass that can be up to twice the length of the scale. The cottony camellia scale (sometimes called taxus scale) crawlers are flat brownish or yellowish sucking insects. Foliage with scale infestations may turn yellowish or pale in color. Due to copious honeydew, leaves below are covered with a crust of black sooty mold. It is possible to have low numbers of this insect for years without an outbreak.
For biology, life history, monitoring and management
See:
Camellia (Camellia)-Cottony camellia scale
See "Scale insect" in:
Management-chemical control
See Table 1 in: