Black things on branches

[Geneva]

Can anyone identify what these little black things are? They are hard and when removed from branches they are sticky underneath. Any ideas on how to control them?

 

[bucktoothal]

Looks like Gall.

" From Wikipedia,
Galls or plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues and can be caused by various parasites, from fungi and bacteria, to insects and mites. Galls are often highly organized structures and because of this the cause of the gall can often be determined without the actual agent being identified. This applies particularly to some insect and mite galls"

Now this is just my guess, I'm not 100% here. I would have to have plant in hand to tell for sure.
Hopefully someone who does know for sure will answer this..

 

[Geneva]

It does look like gall but I don't think that's it. I looked at some pictures of gall and they seem to be outgrowths of the plant itself, almost like tumors. These are small things that attach themselves to branches and leaves and multiply like crazy. With the hard outer shell and the slimy underbelly they almost resemble snails though they lack the organized structure of a snail.

I appreciate your thought and effort in solving this problem. . I'm still looking for answers if anyone out there has an idea.

 

[Geneva]

After some research, I think they might be soft scale Coccus hesperidum. They are a type of scale insects. I'm not sure but that's my best guess. Still looking for ideas on how to get rid of them.

 

[FreakNature]

Yeah, I was going to say scale insects. They're not too bad at that stage, but when they hatch and crawl about watch out. Use of Neem oil and Safer Insecticidal Soap are a couple of organic control methods.

 

[Geneva]

Thanks for the advice, FreakNature. I will look for some Neem oil.

 

[Cannablitz]

I had scales before back when I first started to grow, but my were more brown. I had no idea what they were, by the time I noticed them they had already shed their legs & were stuck in one place. I tried typing "brown lumps on stems of plants" in a web search for help but I couldn't find any answers. I didn't think they were insects until they started leaving a sticky sap all around the stems of my plants which attracted ants, so I did another web search with key words "sap & ants on plants" & found out they were scales. The ants love to eat the sap left by the scales & actually form a pact with the scales & protect the scales from other insects, I got to witness a small army of ants attack & kill a house spider living in my plants.
I just used a clean razor blade to scrape the scales off then I sprayed Safer's Insecticidal Soap, it killed the Scales & the ants & I've never had scales since.

 

[Droopy Dog]

Yeah, I was going to say scale insects. They're not too bad at that stage, but when they hatch and crawl about watch out. Use of Neem oil and Safer Insecticidal Soap are a couple of organic control methods.

Yep, that's scale and yep, Safer or Neem will take care of them.

DD