The armor must be pried off to reveal a female insect attached to the plant by thread-like mouthparts. The adult female insect lacks wings, legs, or eyes. Dead ones are dark brown and are dried rather than plump. Since female armored scales are not capable of wandering once they have settled and started feeding, long range dispersal happens by passive transport of infested plant material. Wind is an agent of dispersal and also one of mortality, since crawlers dislodged by wind may not land on suitable host plants.
Adult males are capable of only weak flight or wind transport.
Living only a few hours, they do not feed. The last two developmental stages of males also do not feed. Female adults and feeding nymphs insert mouthparts into plant tissue and suck plant juices. Since armored scales are spread chiefly through movement of nursery stock, only propagative material that is free of scales should be planted. As plants grow, pruning maintains spacing and allows maximum coverage when using insecticides.