Chinese wax scale

How to identify it

• Adult females are 3 to 7 mm long and convex, covered by a wax cap that is divided into seven plates. The plates become hard to see on old scales.^[1]
• The front of the wax cap is white and sits slightly lower than the rear, which is light brown or pink.^[1]

Look-alikes

Where it lives

ScaleNet lists it from California, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. It also occurs in Italy, Spain and Australia, and its native home is thought to be Central or South America, where heavily parasitized populations have been found in Argentina.^[1]

US map: public records from 5 states since 1990 (GBIF). View the map

Biology and life cycle

It has one generation a year, a pattern recorded on citrus and pears in Italy, in Virginia, and in Spanish citrus groves.^[1][2]

In northeastern Spain, females laid eggs from May to mid-July. Eggs began hatching in mid-June, and hatching peaked in early August.^[2]

ScaleNet records it on plants in 139 genera and 62 families. In California it can be abundant on Escallonia, gardenia, Australian willow (Geijera parviflora) and mayten.^[1][3]

Damage and signs

• It is a serious pest of citrus in Australia and an occasional one in Italy and Spain.^[1]
• Like other soft scales, it produces sticky honeydew, which grows black sooty mold. Heavy scale infestations can yellow leaves, make them drop early and weaken plants.^[3]

Health risk

The sources treat it only as a plant pest; none mentions bites or any risk to people or pets.^[1][3]

Control

Prevention

Check plants now and then for scales, honeydew, sooty mold and ants. Before treating, look closely at some of the scales: if many are already dead or parasitized, hold off.^[3]

Traps and physical control

On small plants, prune off heavily infested twigs and branches if the scales are limited to a few parts of the plant.^[3]

Biological control

Parasitic wasps are often the most important natural enemies of scales. In Spanish citrus groves, four wasp species attacked Chinese wax scale, mostly older nymphs and adult females, and Aprostocetus ceroplastae made up more than half of them.^[3][2]

Ants that collect honeydew protect scales from their enemies, so keep ants off infested plants with sticky barriers or insecticide baits.^[3]

Pesticides

A well-timed, thorough spray of horticultural oil during the dormant season or soon after crawlers become active gives good control of most scales. In Spain, crawlers hatch from mid-June into August.^[3][2]

Related profiles

• Barnacle scale
• Florida Wax Scale
• Red wax scale
• Fig wax scale
• How to get rid of scale insects

Common questions

Is Chinese wax scale really from China?

Probably not. A study of wax scale relationships predicted that its native range lies in Central or South America, and heavily parasitized populations found in Argentina supported that idea.^[1]

How many generations does Chinese wax scale have?

One a year. In Spain, eggs are laid from May to mid-July and hatch from mid-June into August.^[1][2]

Sources

1. ScaleNet (scale insect database begun at the USDA ARS Systematic Entomology Laboratory), “ScaleNet catalogue: Ceroplastes sinensis Del Guercio.” scalenet.info/catalogue/Ceroplastes%20sinensis/ (accessed 2026-11-09)
2. Cambridge University Press (Bulletin of Entomological Research), “Seasonal trends, sampling plans and parasitoid complex of the Chinese wax scale, Ceroplastes sinensis, in Mediterranean citrus groves (Martinez-Ferrer et al. 2015, Bulletin of Entomological Research 105:70-81).” doi.org/10.1017/S0007485314000777 (accessed 2026-11-09)
3. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Pest Notes: Scales (UC ANR Publication 7408).” ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/scales/ (accessed 2026-11-09)
4. iNaturalist, “Ceroplastes sinensis taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/330199 (accessed 2026-11-09)