Small scars on gymno

[Cacidy]

I recently picked up this gymnocalycium, it seems to be doing well other than these small scars which look like bug bites to me. I don't see any mealy bugs, but I live next to a green belt and there are lots of small flying insects swarming the porch lights at night.

Any ideas what could be causing the scars?

Thanks for your help!

[Cacidy]

I recently picked up this gymnocalycium, it seems to be doing well other than these small scars which look like bug bites to me. I don't see any mealy bugs, but I live next to a green belt and there are lots of small flying insects swarming the porch lights at night.

Any ideas what could be causing the scars?

Thanks for your help!

Screenshot_20170622-000752.jpg (89.73 KiB) Viewed 630 times

[Brontosaurus]

Scale insect? That would be my guess. What happens when you try scrubbing off the spots with a toothbrush and soapy water?

[Cacidy]

I was able to scrape them off with tweezers, I didn't try to brush them off with a toothbrush and soapy water. There wasnt much damage under these scales, just some small depressions. I found what looks like older sites lower on the plant where the scale has a hole in the middle of it, when I remove the scale there is a hole in the plant tissue under it.

So is this what scale looks like on a gymno? I'm a newbie.

Is there a spray that controls scale more thoroughly than brushing? What can I do to prevent this spreading to my other cactus?

Thanks!

[greenknight]

That's one type of scale, there are many. Insecticidal soap or isopropyl alcohol will kill them, but you have to repeat the treatment as more hatch out, systemic insecticides are suggested as a one shot fix. See - http://www.cactiguide.com/cactipests/#scale