Lepidosaphes yanagicola

Lepidosaphes yanagicola is sometimes referred to as the fire bush scale or the yanagicola oystershell scale. This is a different species than the euonymus scale (Unaspis euonymi) which is also found on Euonymus spp. The fire bush scale is an armored scale pest of euonymus as well as other deciduous hosts. It will not be found on evergreen euonymus. On winged euonymus, this armored scale will be found most frequently on twigs between the bark ridges that form the "wings". In heavy infestations, however, the scales may be found near leaf midveins. Fertilized adult females of this species overwinter (approx. 2 mm long and oystershell shaped, brown; bodies beneath the test or armored covering are white). The female test is straight unless the population of scales is large and individuals become crowded. Males have shorter tests and are orange-brown in color. Egg laying at sites in Pennsylvania has been recorded in mid-June and continues for a month. Eggs are white. Immature fire bush scales (crawlers, also white in color) will mature into adults and mate prior to the arrival of frost. All life stages may be observed from late July into August. In Ohio, crawlers may be present by late-June. In Maryland, crawlers are also reported in June. Historically, in Massachusetts, the crawler stage has been reported by mid-to-late July (Robert Childs, personal communication). A single generation has been observed per year. The fire bush scale is reported from: Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The fire bush scale is also known from China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. On Euonymus spp. hosts, the fire bush scale may be confused for L. gloverii (Glover scale), however that species is more commonly known to Citrus spp. A scale taxonomist would be able to differentiate between the species using slide-mounted characteristics viewed under a microscope (Miller and Davidson, 2005).