Under a magnifying glass they resemble miniature fried eggs. Males are also white, but smaller and narrower. Hosts include junipers, arborvitae, incense cedar, and cypress. There are two generations annually. Japanese Scale Mature scales are grayish white, long, and narrow.
Japanese scale is a pest of maple, privet, boxwood, holly, Japanese quince, and rose.
On ferns, African violet, begonia, camellia, citrus, fig, geranium, hibiscus, liriope, orchids, palms, violet, and many others. On hemlock, fir, spruce, and yew. In general, soft scales are larger and more convex than armored scales. Many resemble miniature tortoise shells. Soft Scales usually cover themselves with wax, but they lack the detachable protective cover for which armored scales are named.