This is a huge infestation of scale.

Contact your county extension agent.

I think the correct time to spray is late April or early May.

Better get on it.

Dave

I have already treated with a systemic insecticide good for scales.

==>> here , here ... or is that hear, hear ...

that is precisely what i was going to suggest ... though i am unsure if you mean you sprayed. or went with the soil drench ... i would have drenched ....

w/o a sermon ...

i am not in tuned with nature enough to time out.. to perfection.. the oils sprays.. that need to hit the crawlers to suffocate them ... and they can only be seen with jewelers loops ...

you will .. most likely.. never have a scale problem again on this plant ... due to this generation i mean.. presuming the dose was proper ...

your only problem.. is that it doesnt make them disappear ... so you are left looking at them.. wondering ...

the only way to know.. is that they will not be on the new growth ... in fall ... winter.. or next spring ...

so.. good work.. two thumbs up ... now ignore it ... as to this plague ...

ken

ps: your comment of getting salt from the plow is confusing ...i am surprised it holds up to plowing .... unless you mean salt from the salt truck that has a plow under it????

Thanks for the help guys. I was worried I'd get flamed for using a systemic but in situations like this, I don't feel I had a choice. I used Bayer Tree and Shrub as a soil drench 3oz per gallon concentration. This tree is right near our mailbox and as such is right next to the road. When snowblowing the street in front of the mailbox, it gets a snow pile on and next to it. That's how it would get the salt. I wasn't sure if that information would be useful or not.

Hopefully the systemic will knock them out.
In the mean time if you have good water pressure you can crack open a hose end ball valve and physically blow some of the scale off the plant. It takes a while but satisfies your need for revenge.