The Ontario Ministry of Food and Agriculture (OMAFRA) advises that now is the time to deal with Introduced Beech scale (Cryptococcus fagisugae, since it is easier to see this time of year on native American beech (Fagus grandifolia), since it is easy to see at this time Beech scale is quite often the precursor to Beech Bark Disease (Neonectria faginata and N. ditissima) as the scale insect feeding creates wound sites for the fungal disease to enter. Management of beech scale in the early stages may help suppress beech bark disease.
To learn how to identify the scale and treat it with horticultural oils, see OMAFRA’s blog here.