San Jose scale
Insect
San Jose scale
Quadraspidiotus perniciosus (Comstock)
Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Diaspididae
Distribution: Widespread and a major pest in most fruit-growing states and provinces in eastern North America.
Photos
Feeding on fruit induces red to purple discoloration around feeding sites.
NY State Ag Experiment Station
C
Adult males are minute, winged insects about 1 mm long and golden brown with a reddish tinge. Scales may be either disk-shaped (females) or oval (males), and are composed of concentric rings of gray-brown wax radiating from a tiny white knob (A). Nymphs (crawlers) are bright yellow and resemble spider mites (B).