In this species, the female forms a flat, circular scale which is white, brown, or yellow in color.

It can be found nearly worldwide today because it has been introduced to many areas with shipments of plants and then began a slow spread.

[1] The female attaches to the surface of a plant, forms a waxy shield, and lays eggs beneath it.

[1] Crops affected include sisal hemp, tea, cotton, mastic, oil palms, neem, and many foods and flowers.

[3] Some groves are doubly infested, also harboring populations of the related red scale (Aonidiella aurantii).

[3] It was first found on neem in Cameroon in 1985 and had spread over one million kilometers by 1998, infesting many economically important trees.

Good results were observed with the parasitoid wasps Comperiella lemniscata and Encarsia citrina.

[5] Other insects, such as the larva of the coconut moth (Batrachedra arenosella) and the lady beetles Lindores lophanthae, Chilocorus circumdatus, and C. baileyi have been helpful in severe infestations.