Hi All, Today I just discovered that there are a lot of these dark shell like things scattered all over the branches on my lemon tree. They don't seem to be part of the tree as they actually suck on the branch and therefore can be easily taken off. Does anyone one by chance know what they are? Also, are they harmful to lemon trees? Thanks in advance. Jason
Looks like you have scale insects. Yes, they will weaken your lemon tree unless you get rid of them. http://images.google.com/imgres?img...n-gb:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7SUNA_en-GB&sa=N&um=1 http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/m1183.html
yup, definitely scale. if it's not severely infested, picking them off as you've done is the easist thing to do. then, soak paper toweling in rubbing alcohol and rub that along the stems and branches (re-moistening as necessary) to kill any eggs or juveniles that are on the plant. keep an eye on things for the next week or so and repeat the rubbing alcohol treatment in about 10 days (the eggs are very easy to miss as they're so tiny). also look at any other plants that are in the immediate vicinity - if they're infested as well, they'll also need to be treated.