adult females. In early spring, the adult females enlarge rapidly; ovisac develop- 
ment and egg laying begins in mid to late spring. A single female may lay 1,000 
eggs. First instars begin to appear in early summer and are present until August. 
First instars move from the branches to the leaves where they develop into adult 
females in late summer and early fall. Adults mate in August and September. 
Before leaf drop, adult females move to the stems of the host. Heavy populations of 
this scale may cause dieback of branches and under extreme conditions may kill 
entire trees. This soft scale produces large amounts of honeydew, which frequently 
supports growth of sooty mold. Natural enemies include six species of chalcidoid 
wasps, several lady beetles, a green lacewing, a pyralid moth, and the English 
sparrow. 
Pulvinaria acericola (Walsh & Riley), the cottony maple leaf scale, is appar- 
ently indigenous to North America and is common throughout the Eastern United 
States. The preferred host is maple, but it is also found on dogwood, persimmon, 
holly, blackgum, sassafras, Prunus spp., and andromeda. This soft scale may be 
found in natural habitats and ornamental plantings. The adult female is purple with 
a longitudinal yellow stripe down the center of the dorsum. An ovisac is produced 
with two or three longitudinal ribs. 
The cottony maple leaf scale has one generation per year and overwinters as 
second instars on the stems and branches. Adults are present in spring when mating 
takes place. Adult females move to the leaves and form ovisacs in late spring. or 
early summer. The adult female normally falls from the sac soon after it is 
completed. Each ovisac may contain nearly 2,500 eggs (644), and hatching begins 
several weeks after the eggs are laid. First instars settle on the leaves where they 
molt once. In the fall the second instars move back to the twigs and branches where 
they overwinter. The cottony maple leaf scale normally does not cause damage, but 
heavy infestations may occasionally cause early leaf drop and dieback of branches. 
Natural enemies include seven chalcidoid wasps and a lady beetle. 
Other species of Pulvinaria that are common in eastern forests are P. floccifera 
(Westwood), the cottony camellia scale or cottony taxus scale, known in the East 
from Connecticut to Florida and west to Missouri on many hosts, including 
camellia, Chinese holly, and yew. The cottony camellia scale is yellow to light 
brown with a dark body margin and has a life cycle similar to that of the cottony 
maple leaf scale. It can be an important pest of ornamentals. 
Pseudophilippia quaintancii Cockerell, the woolly pine scale, is indigenous to 
the United States where it occurs on several pine species including Swiss mountain, 
loblolly, longleaf, Table Mountain, and pitch pines. This soft scale is reported from 
New Jersey to Florida and west to Louisiana and is restricted primarily to natural 
habitats. The adult female is elongate oval, yellow, light brown, or greenish yellow, 
and is covered with a characteristic white, cottony, waxy secretion. The biology of 
this species has not been studied. The woolly pine scale occasionally may be 
abundant enough to cause stunting of growth (/0/2). 
The spruce bud scale, Physokermes piceae (Schrank), was apparently intro- 
duced into North America. It is known in Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Mary- 
land, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and 
Wisconsin. The taxonomic status of this species in the United States is currently in 
question. It is now established that at least some of the reported records of P. piceae 
should be treated as P. hemicryphus Dalman. The spruce bud scale is found on 
spruce, particularly Norway spruce. Adult females are round, reddish brown, and 
closely resemble leaf buds of the host. 
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