What parts of the plant become infested with the cycad aulacaspis scale insect?
A. The cycad aulacaspis scale insect infests all parts of the cycad – the fronds, cones, stems, and even the roots. Q. How does the cycad aulacaspis scale insect affect its host plant? A. Armored scale insects feed by piercing into plant tissue with their very thin stylets and drinking the plant juices. They thus drain energy from the plant, and this is thought to greatly weaken the plant if the scale insect infestation is dense. There is increasing evidence that in addition to draining energy, the scale insects may inject toxic substances into the plant. As a part of their feeding behavior, they inject saliva into the plant tissues to loosen up the sap so they can imbibe it more efficiently. The plant tissues may react to the saliva of some scale insects, similarly to the way in which our tissues react to mosquito bites. Mosquitoes also inject a little saliva into our tissues. It contains anticoagulants. The little welt that forms is due to a reaction to substances in their saliva. In
