11005-35301 Sooty beech scale (Ultracoelostoma assimile) showing the waxy, hard globular capsule, concealing a second stage nymph. Note the long silvery, tubular thread through which droplets of honeydew are excreted. Nelson *
DSC_5788 Great Giant Scale (Coelostomidia zealandica) on silver beech trunk. These sap-feeding females excrete considerable quantities of sugar-rich honeydew - an important sugar resource for forest insects birds and reptiles. Females are quite large with a body length of 6-15 mm, and a width of 4-8 mm, whereas the smaller, winged males, are only 3.5-4.3 mm in length. Waikaia Bush *
DSC_5132 Long-tailed mealybug (Pseudococcus longispinus) adult female. Originally from Australia, now a worldwide pest. It occurs outdoors throughout the North Island and northern South Island, and under greenhouse conditions is widespread throughout the country. Common in vineyards where it can become a significant problem causing sooty mould. It gets its common name from the long, waxy filaments protruding from the last abdominal segment of adult females. Dunedin *
