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Scales spread from plant to plant as tiny crawlers that have legs and can move around. Crawlers can be controlled with contact insecticides such as insecticidal soap or malathion, but most gardeners never notice them and miss the opportunity. The safest effective way to control scale is with a horticultural oil spray.
People also ask, how quickly does malathion work?
The time it takes for malathion to break down to half of the original amount in soil is about 17 days, depending on the soil type. This length of time is known as the half-life. In water, malathion has a half-life between 2 and 18 days, depending on conditions like temperature and pH.
Also know, what kind of insects does malathion kill?
Ortho MAX Malathion Insect Spray Concentrate is formulated to kill mosquitoes, aphids, white flies, mosquitoes, mealy bugs, red spider mites, scales and other listed nuisance insects.
Insecticidal soap can also be sprayed on houseplants to kill scales. Mix about 5 tablespoons of insecticidal soap or a very mild dish soap into 1 gallon (3.8 L) of water. Pour the soap into a spray bottle and spray the plant, including the undersides of the leaves and stems, until the soap solution begins to drip.