Control Scale By Hand Picking

Light scale infestations are easy to control by hand picking or mashing. Destroying the protective shells invariably destroys the insect within. Crush clusters of scale bumps between your thumb and forefinger, scrape them off with your fingernail or dab them with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. On a woody tree or shrub a small scrub brush or fingernail brush are effective tools for rubbing off scale bumps.
Another hand picking method is to clip or pinch off scale-infested plant tips and discard them in the trash. Done early in the season, this will not harm the plant and may, in fact, encourage it to branch and become bushier. Do not do this if there are flower buds forming at these tips.