Bug FAQCottony Maple Scale
Neopulvinaria innumerabilis · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Coccidae
Source: Wikipedia
Cottony maple scale is a tiny, flattened brown insect about 1/8 inch long that lives on maples, especially silver maple. Large numbers can make leaves turn yellow, drop early, and cause twig dieback on the host trees.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The insect is a small, flattened, brown scale about one eighth of an inch long.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure roughly 0.125 inches in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
Small infestations usually cause little harm, but heavy numbers can lead to premature leaf drop and twig dieback. Severe infestations may turn leaves yellow to light green and stunt leaf growth.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It can be found on any maple species but prefers silver maple.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In early summer, mature females produce white, waxy, cottony egg sacs that hold up to 1,500 eggs.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The egg-sac stage appears in early summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 34 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New York, Michigan, Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas, Indiana.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I recognize cottony maple scale?
Look for a tiny, flattened brown scale about 1/8 inch long, often with white, cottony egg sacs on maple leaves in early summer.
Source: Wikipedia
What damage does cottony maple scale cause?
When numbers are high, it can make leaves turn yellow, drop early, and cause twig dieback on the affected trees.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Coccidae)
Brown Soft ScaleCoccus hesperidumDamages trees, gardens or crops
Hemispherical ScaleSaissetia coffeaeDamages trees, gardens or crops
Indian Wax ScaleCeroplastes ceriferusDamages trees, gardens or crops
European Fruit ScaleParthenolecanium corniCan spread germs or disease
Pyriform ScaleProtopulvinaria pyriformisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Calico scaleEulecanium cerasorumSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulvinaria_innumerabilis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-28 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-28.