What describes cottony maple scale females and their eggs?

What describes cottony maple scale females and their eggs?

• A. Females are oval, flattened and dark brown; a fluffy white sac appears when eggs are produced; heavy feeding causes dieback.
• B. Females are bright red; eggs are blue; feeding causes immediate leaf drop.
• C. Females are green; eggs are on the ground; feeding causes root rot.
• D. Females are yellow and spiny; eggs inside bark; feeding causes fruit drop.

Answer: (A)

Cottony maple scale is a sap-sucking soft scale insect whose reproduction is tied to a visible cottony egg mass. The female is oval and flattened, with a dark brown body, and when eggs are produced a fluffy white sac forms around her. This sac protects and contains the eggs until they hatch, releasing crawlers that disperse to colonize new feeding sites. The impact on the host comes from the scale’s feeding: heavy infestations drain vigor, leading to dieback on trees such as maples. The description in this option matches both the female’s shape and color, and the characteristic white egg sac, along with the typical consequence of heavy feeding. The other descriptions don’t fit cottony maple scale biology, such as color, egg location, or the kind of damage they cause.

Cottony maple scale is a sap-sucking soft scale insect whose reproduction is tied to a visible cottony egg mass. The female is oval and flattened, with a dark brown body, and when eggs are produced a fluffy white sac forms around her. This sac protects and contains the eggs until they hatch, releasing crawlers that disperse to colonize new feeding sites. The impact on the host comes from the scale’s feeding: heavy infestations drain vigor, leading to dieback on trees such as maples. The description in this option matches both the female’s shape and color, and the characteristic white egg sac, along with the typical consequence of heavy feeding. The other descriptions don’t fit cottony maple scale biology, such as color, egg location, or the kind of damage they cause.