They vary in appearance depending on age, sex and species. Scales feed on sap by piercing the leaf or stem with their mouthparts and sucking. As they feed on plant sap, they excrete a sugary substance called honeydew. The sooty mold fungus feeds on the honeydew, resulting in unsightly, dark fungal growth. They are round and reddish brown in color.
Males have wings and are brown in color.
The crawlers also suck sap from leaves. Serious scale infestations may result in stunted plant growth, small flowers, and yellowing of leaves and early leaf drop. In addition, the presence of the honeydew results in dark splotches on the surface of the leaves. In small trees with light infestation, scale can be scraped off or infested branches can be removed and destroyed. In a large tree, controlling scale chemically is not always practical.