ABOVE: The climber uses
rope and saddle to safely maneuver around a California
sycamore during a pruning operation.
RIGHT: Oak wax scale,
Cerococcus quercus, is a sucking insect. This colony
was found on a mesa or Engelman oak, Quercus engelmannii.
Its primary hosts are scrub oaks (Q. dumosa & Q. berberidifolia).
They are about 4 to 4.5 mm in diameter. A scale may be
commonly found with a small circular hole in the outer
shell indicating it has been parasilized (where a predatory
insect has used the scale in its own reproductive cycle).
The scale has a minimal affect on its host. Spraying is
not recommended as it upsets the natural balance, killing
the predator as well as the prey.
