SCURFY SCALE

(species Chionaspis furfura), an important insect pest of fruit and ornamental trees in the United States. This insect (order Homoptera) has gray, pear-shaped females (about 3 mm [0.1 inch] long) and smaller, white males with three longitudinal ridges. These insects, found on shaded trees, give the bark a scurfy appearance and cause spotting of foliage and fruit. In warm climates, there are two generations a year; in cooler regions there is only one. Control is usually through use of an oil spray.