Jane: taking matters into my own hands

Or gloves, rather.

I did some more reading about magnolia scale, and found that it is slow to get rid of (just as it is slow to infest). Sigh. One site, though, said that you can remove the scale by hand.

So that's what I've been doing. It's not difficult, but it is a bit gross, if you remember that it's bugs you're squishing.

Still, you get to a certain point where you're desperate enough to do it. I remember this happening when my cats have had fleas. At first, I'm grossed out, but eventually, I'm squishing fleas between my fingernails. Same with *ugh* head lice. Get off my kid's head! You suddenly lose your squeamishness.

That's how I feel about these annoying vampire bugs sucking the life out of my magnolias. I just pull, scrape, and squish those things off. They leave a bright red stain, as you can see on the gloves.

This kitten kept me company.