---
title: "What ARE these things?? They aren’t mealies. I never see them move.…"
description: "What ARE these things?? They aren’t mealies. I never see them move. They are on my bird’s nest fern. I am continuously wiping them off. They are squishy and I…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ/3Bn5wNgIjnMCA06NKNbUQq"
community: "Pests, diseases and problems"
author: "Caylathea"
published: "2026-02-05T00:45:34.796303Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/THwKryTiupCWqZynomDsbD7t8VFwfPCz95-Z_R0GsQo/zWuOJhUTSEGfKc_meCXLLA.webp?size=large"
---

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# What ARE these things?? They aren’t mealies. I never see them move.…

_Posted by Caylathea on 2026-02-05_

What ARE these things?? They aren’t mealies. I never see them move. They are on my bird’s nest fern. I am continuously wiping them off. They are squishy and I really don’t like them.

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/THwKryTiupCWqZynomDsbD7t8VFwfPCz95-Z_R0GsQo/zWuOJhUTSEGfKc_meCXLLA.webp?size=large)

## 4 comments

### Caylathea commented on 2026-02-05

They make the leaves deformed like this

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/THwKryTiupCWqZynomDsbD7t8VFwfPCz95-Z_R0GsQo/W-OY6WrbSvC0hno1vO3tZw.webp?size=large)

### Morgan EA commented on 2026-02-05

Hi there!! I’m fairly certain that they’re scales. It’s really hard to get rid of but continuing to wipe them off when you see them will help eventually (even though it feels like it isn’t at all). Also, an insecticidal soap spray and then wiping it and the scales off at the same time can help too!!!  
Good luck!! It’s definitely not a sprint and such an annoying practice in patience 😊

#### Caylathea replied on 2026-02-05

Thanks! Yes, they definitely are scales. Thankfully they don’t live in the soil so I’ll just keep wiping them off and using neem oil here and there.

### brittrb commented on 2026-02-05

As of 3 days ago I found scales on several of my plants. I’ve been learning alot about it. Looks like brown soft scale. When they look like this they are adults. The females have little “crawlers” they can be orange colored and tiny. They can move until they mature then they only stay in one spot. The crawlers can be killed by sprays and such but the adults have to individually be removed. All I currently have is hydrogen peroxide so that’s what I’ve been using. I checked all my plants over super well. A couple plants only had one and hidden very well. I’ve isolated several and not sure how long to expect to rid of the scale completely.

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