This is how my 2022 ended–I said goodbye to a plant that had been with me since 1990, my grandmother’s ficus.
The fact that it went quickly was of some consolation, I suppose. But the 6 weeks or so that I watched it decline were still pretty painful.
This year is beginning with more parting with ficus. This past weekend I said goodbye to 2 ficus Audrey and a ficus lyrata that were too scale infested to save.
This is the bright spot. This little ficus elastica could be cleaned off.
Luckily February is a short month. I am hoping for better luck going forward.
Gardendaze 
Did you dispose of them already? After frost, you could put them in a sheltered location outside to see if they try to regenerate after getting all their foliar growth pruned off. Ficus enjoy some time outside anyway. In this climate, they can spend much of the winter outside. They enjoy the rain. I do not cut them back because it is not necessary. However, I would if they got severely invested with scale.
Ah, Tony, what a great thought. No, they are toast. I garden indoors by the triage method–and those ficus had already infested a sago palm that I had had for decades as well so they had to go. I suspect that they infected a few more things–I am trying to recall what they were near when they were outside last summer. Obviously I can monitor what they were near now. But it’s the stuff that they were near last summer that I wonder about since I wonder if they all picked the scale up at the same time. I will have to check my photos.
Karla
That is unfortunate. The various species of Ficus are actually difficult to kill in landscapes. They try to regenerate from their stumps for a very long time.
That’s what I was hoping would happen with my grandmother’s ficus. For awhile it did seem to be shooting out from the bottom. Then when those died too, I gave up all hope. Ah well…