EGGS Soft brown scales are ovoviviparous in that they produce small larvae that hatch from eggs within the mother. Each female lays between 80 to 250 eggs. The young nymphs, born within the adult female, remain in her brood chamber for a few hours before leaving. The first stage nymphs are dispersive crawlers. The crawlers search until they find a suitable spot to feed from on the plant and then settles.
Movement is sluggish and they usually settle near the female.
There are three molts, making three nymphal stages, before the scale reaches adulthood. The second and third nymphal stages are distinguished by the size of the scale. Reed et al. They are pale yellowish brown to greenish and flecked with irregular brown spots. Overall color darkens as the insect ages.