Once upon a time on usenet ~misfit~ wrote:
[snip digression]
Back to the scale insect issue though... I've recently been using
Neem oil and while it's too soon to say that it's a complete success
I do have far less scale insects than I used to. I really don't want
to just blitz the insect population of my trees as each one is like a
mini ecosystem. Yes there are a few aphids but there are also
ladybugs. There are a few whitefly but the trees also act as
nurseries for young jumping spiders who feed on the whitefly.

I think that for long term success we can't simply remove one
component of an ecosystem (the fruit tree) and grow it in isolation.
It's not good for the tree, the planet or us. The secret is not
letting any one 'pest' get to the stage where it threatens the tree's
health.

I forgot to mention amongst the ecosystems of my trees I often see tiny
parasitic wasps which help to keep the scale insects in check. Also all my
containers have large saucers so there's a moat around them at all times to
keep ants away. Ants will farm the scale and aphids if you left than have
access.
--
Shaun.

"Humans will have advanced a long, long, way when religious belief has a
cozy little classification in the DSM."
David Melville (in r.a.s.f1)