Aspidiotus nerii

Oleander scale

General

Aspidiotus nerii, the oleander scale or white scale belongs to the Coccoidea and has an almost worldwide distribution. Host plants include olive, apple, mango, palms, oleander and citrus.

Life cycle and appearance of Oleander scale

Adult oleander scales are a greyish, dirty white or yellowy colour, round in shape, with a scale whose apex is off-centred. This scale resembles a miniature fried egg with a diameter of 2 mm. The newly hatched crawlers are roughly 0.3 mm long. They quickly attach themselves to the plant and form a scale. Colonies mainly form on the underside of leaves.

After 1 to 2 months, the female reaches adulthood and begins to lay eggs. An adult female may live for several months.

Each female produces 30-175 offspring during her lifespan. At 30°C, there is a large reduction in fertility and high mortality in crawlers.