white pest or disease...need ID and suggestions to treat

sashatoomey

I have two dwarf trees...I can't remember the name Japanese something (not maple) that are about 8 years old. The leaves and small branches are turning brown and dying...I noticed some tiny white bumpy stuff in patches on the branches. It is not on the leaves (lite color in photo is natural varigation). It doesn't appear to be an insect but maybe scale? I don't think it is powdery mildew because I live near Dallas and it is HOT and DRY and the white stuff is not on the leaves but does kill the leaves near the infected branch.
I sprayed them a few weeks ago with a general disease and pest spray but it does not seem to be helping.

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TreeSpecialist

Definitely a scale insect and they are hard to kill. Unable to identify from picture.

Use an oil spray such as Sunspray® or Neem® oil.

As a dwarf, scratch the critters off with your finger nail after the spray has worked. Simply spraying may not make them turn loose.

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Brent Ferris

Definitely scale. Dishwashing soap and water will also work (Neem is better), and scrub scale off stems and branches with a soft nail brush within the hour. Once done, wash the stem and branches with plain water, and repeat if necessary. Scale are very hard to kill by spraying, physical removal works far better, albeit more work.