Tarahe efficacy of four insecticide treatments—buprofezin, chlorpyrifos, 1 and 2% mineral oil, applied at four single, and a double application time, was evaluated against soft wax scale,Ceroplastes destructorNewstead, on ‘Seminole’ tangelo(Citrus paradisi(Macfadyen) ×C. reticulata(Blanco)) in Kerikeri, New Zealand. Settlement of the insecticide‐sensitive ray stage (1st instar and 2nd instar) onto leaves, and the later dispersal of rays onto the wood to form the wax‐protected peak stage (3rd instar), was monitored. Spray application times on 15 and 25 January, 12 February, and 2 March 1993 corresponded to 64, 96, 100, and 50% of total ray abundance on leaves in untreated trees. Maximum ray abundance, after correcting for natural mortality, was estimated to occur on 4 February. There was no significant difference between chlorpyrifos and both mineral oil treatments which resulted in 71 and 90% control of rays, when averaged over all single and double applications, respectively. The highest level of control was achieved about the time of maximum ray settlement and insecticides should be applied during the period, 18 days before and 28 days after maximum settlement. A longer‐term evaluation of the success of treatments showed that all treatments significantly reduced peak stages in April by 71%, averaged over all times of application. The 1 % mineral oil treatment was the preferred choice in an integrated pest management programme.