Biology
Lecanium scales are a complex of scale species ranging from variously mottled to all brown. The mature female scales look like bumps on twigs, while the mature males are flat, somewhat oval discs. First noticeable in late spring when eggs and tiny crawlers are produced. The crawlers appear on the underside of leaves throughout much of the summer. They feed on a wide variety of trees and shrubs. When populations are high, they produce an abundance of honeydew, a shiny, sticky, sweet substance which can accumulate on leaves and other surfaces beneath infested plants. Honeydew may attract ants or serve as a food source for sooty mold, a black fungus which is unsightly but does not directly harm plants.
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