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Sione Kelo
Vaini, Tonga
Identification request
2020-10-15T23:13:00.0000000Z
   3
Pink waxed scales & mites on Spice tree leaf blades

Please confirm if visible enough. From August to the first 3 weeks of Sept we had very dry & windy weather... from last week of Sept to now it was wet, windy and cool.

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Responses

Michael Furlong
   0
2020-10-29T05:04:24.8506089Z

Sione,

They certainly look like pink wax scale. I'm not so sure about the mites as the magnification is quite low. What is the species of plant? Is there a chance of higher magnification photographs?

Thanks

Mike


Sione Foliaki
   0
2020-10-31T01:52:33.3412263Z

Hello Mike,

The leaves are from host plants, both are common hosts to the pink-wax scale: (1) Cinnamon, Cinnamon tree (Cinnamomum verum  = Cinnamomum zeylanicum) and (2) All spice tree (Pimenta dioica). Anyway, I do not have a better camera for the purpose much closer magnification. For the mites, I guest these are red spider mites which are most common in these drier months: July to December.

Cheers, Sione Foliaki (Tonga islands)