Females and males can be found on stems as well as on leaves. Note No. 15 provides information on the euonymus scale and its control. Horticultural oil or Cygon used for euonymus scale suppression should also control spider mites and other pests of euonymus. Gloomy Scales Gloomy scales make the bark of infested maples rough, dark and unsightly . They also cause twig dieback.
Gloomy scales are armored scales.
They overwinter as mated females and the young scales are produced from May to the middle of August. Gloomy scales are susceptible to horticultural oils, but infested trees may be large and difficult to spray. Because the scales build up in layers, it may be very difficult to obtain good control by spraying. It is probably better to spend energy getting an infested tree into good growing condition than to waste energy spraying with improper equipment. First, submit a soil sample to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture Soils Laboratory.