Bug FAQPyriform Scale
Protopulvinaria pyriformis · Order: Hemiptera · Family: Coccidae
Also called: pyriform soft scale
Source: Wikipedia
Adult females are pear-shaped, about 3 mm long, with a hard scale and a fluffy white ovisac underneath. They feed on plant sap and cause heavy honeydew that promotes sooty mould, weakening the plant and reducing fruit size and number.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The hardened scale of the adult female has a small white ovisac that sticks out from underneath. Nymphs are flat, oval and pale green, and their eggs are pale yellow.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
An adult female is roughly 3 mm (0.12 in) long and shaped like a pear or heart.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
It is a widespread avocado pest wherever the fruit is grown. The honeydew it excretes encourages sooty mould, which reduces photosynthesis, weakens the plant, causes leaf drop, dries shoots, and lowers fruit size and yield.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is most commonly found on avocado trees and is considered the worst avocado pest in Peru; it also occurs on citrus in Spain.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Both adults and nymphs obtain nutrition by sucking sap from their host plant.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
A mature female lays 200-300 eggs without mating, keeps them in her ovisac, and the eggs hatch there. In South Africa and Israel the species produces two generations each year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Hawaii, Texas, Colorado, Maryland.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How does this scale insect damage avocado trees?
It secretes large amounts of honeydew that foster sooty mould, which blocks sunlight, weakens the tree, drops leaves, dries shoots, and reduces fruit size and number.
Source: Wikipedia
What does the adult female look like?
The adult female is about 3 mm long, pear-shaped, with a hard scale and a small fluffy white ovisac hanging beneath it.
Source: Wikipedia
How many generations does it have per year?
In South Africa and Israel it produces two generations each year.
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
Cottony Maple ScaleNeopulvinaria innumerabilisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Calico scaleEulecanium cerasorumSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protopulvinaria_pyriformis
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.