This is the time of the year to assess the seasonal activities of certain insect pests in the orchard and make treatment decisions for the delayed-dormant spray. This evaluation provides guidance for planning in-season pest management activities. Insects that can be evaluated using dormant spur sampling includes tiny insects (Scales: San Jose scale, European fruit lecanium; non-webspinning mites: brown mites, European red mites), and overwintered worms (oblique-banded leafroller, oriental fruit moth, peach twig borer). Although dormant spur sampling does not cover navel orangeworm damage evaluation, it is critical to know how much percentage of the mummy nuts are infested with navel orangeworm larvae and follow the proper winter sanitation (see details here). Scale is a bit different in its lifecycle in comparison to other insects. It is a tiny insect that sucks the plant juices from the plant parts such as spurs, branches, fruits and foliage. SJS females are sac-like, legless insects that are covered by the protective shield, made up of waxy secretion. Since they don’t have legs to move, they are permanently attached to the host plant tissues and feed. Because of the protective cover, often, spray coverage is not sufficient to knock down the population especially in large and dense trees. SJS female and her offspring produce several thousands of progenies in one season. Feeding by a large number of scales can cause significant damage to fruit spurs and scaffolds, leading to reduced tree growth and productivity. In severe cases it can cause death of the new spurs and tree limbs in severe cases. So, knowing the density and/or activities of scales and the natural biocontrol activities on spurs is important for making a treatment decision. Spur sampling during the dormant season Use spur sampling (follow the UC IPM guidelines) Take 100 spurs randomly taken from 35-50 trees (inside/outside/high infestation area)