Pest profile

Tuliptree Scale

Toumeyella liriodendri · Hemiptera: Coccidae[2]

Tuliptree scale is a large soft scale that makes limbs look warty and coats trees in honeydew and sooty mold.[1]

Tuliptree scales, large puffy rounded soft scales crowded on a twig
Tuliptree scales, large puffy rounded soft scales crowded on a twig. (c) Celeste Ray, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0

How to identify it

  • Mature females are about 3/8 inch, puffy and rounded, and gray, yellow, orange or pinkish-black.[1]
  • Immature scales are conspicuously black.[1]

Where it lives

It infests poplar, tulip poplar, linden, redbud and magnolia.[1]

US map: public records from 19 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

It overwinters as immatures; each female can produce up to 3,000 young, which hatch around August.[1]

There's one generation a year, and crawlers can spread by wind or birds.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Feeding thins the canopy and causes twig dieback, and honeydew grows black sooty mold.[1]

Health risk

It feeds on plants; UK Extension mentions no risk to people.[1]

Control

Pesticides

Options include dormant oil in winter for overwintering immatures, targeted crawler sprays, or a systemic product.[1]

Common questions

What are the bumps on my magnolia twigs?
Possibly tuliptree scales, which make twigs look warty.[1]
When are crawlers active?
Eggs hatch around August in Kentucky.[1]

Sources

  1. University of Kentucky Entomology (ENTFACT), “Managing Tuliptree Scale (ENTFACT-435).” entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef435 (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. iNaturalist, “Toumeyella liriodendri taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/507877 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-14. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.