Beginner Gardening: Question about Schefflera.. , 1 by parkerj3

parkerj3 wrote:
Thank you so much for all of the suggestions. I'm very anxious to get a handle on this. I want to do every thing I can to help it. The plant looked dusty 4 days ago (when I sent the first picture and post) so, I wiped it off with a damp cloth. I wasn't looking for pests at that time and I probably wiped off helpful information. I checked the plant after I read your post this morning. I found one bit of cottony substance and one single strand of web. There are small brown bumps on the trunk (not sure if this is scale or normal as it seems to be everywhere on the trunks). I have posted a picture of the brown spots. There seem to be some syrup looking spots where stems have fallen off. Not all spots where stems have fallen off have this. Also, I have two leaves (both on the mother trunk) that are beginning to turn brown. The brown area on the leaves have some of the syrup looking color on them, they feel thin and wilted. I will post a picture of this. The wooden dowel came out dark all the way through. Looks to me like my Scheff might have Mealy bug and Scale. Let me know what you think. What is the best way to treat these? Should I remove the stems or leaves that are brown? Thank you for all of your help.