Cottony Cushion Scale

[Icerya purchasi (Maskell), family Margarodidae] Populations often build when beneficials are reduced. Heavy infestations leads to reduced tree vitality. The body of the female is reddish brown, and legs and antennae are black, but this color is often masked by mealy wax. The female is hermaphroditic, possessing both male and female reproductive organs, which is rather unique among insects. A waxy fluted ovisac, one on each female, in which over 1,000 eggs may be deposited, causes the tree to appear as if covered by snow. Unfertilized eggs, which are rare, produce functional males, fragile looking dark red with grayish wings.
 
 
 
 
 

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