Brazilian raintree pest help

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First post!

I've read some great threads here over the years via searches, but my current dilema warranted finally signing up for an account.

A little over a week ago I spotted scale-like black bugs on the leaves of my raintree. I only noticed a few (maybe 10) the first day, then there were far more the next. I immediately treated with a neem and dish soap spray. I'm not sure how often I should be spraying this, usually I've kept it at 1x week when treating other plants, but the bugs didn't seem to be affected so I sprayed again within 2 or 3 days. I also tried to pick them off of the leaves, but they don't scrape off easliy, and with the leaves being so tiny and thin, many of them pulled right off in my efforts to get every last one. The plant is now dropping leaves and the little bastards keep popping up. Much less, but they're still there. I would attribute some of the leaf drop to stress from the treatment and possibly disrupting the water schedule during all of this, but I'm worried these bugs are taking their toll. I have a cutting only a few feet away that's doing great, no bugs, and not a yellow leaf in sight. Im in zone 10b so it lives outside in a southeastern facing screened in porch year round. I had aphids on the new growth at the same time of year last year, but they went right away when treated once. I'm considering doing a soil treatment with something like Imidacloprid but trying to be patient on that.

Any experience and/or suggestions?!?
 

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Paradox

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Not sure
I cant recall seeing these on my own BRT
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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Any oxalis / clovers or arabidopsis plants near it? Could be seeds that launched from them.
Had me scratching my head at least once.
 

Clicio

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never had a pest on brt :(
Ditto.
I have at least 10 BRTs, i am in zone 11a, never had any bugs on them.
Sorry not being helpful, but I don't like Neem oil on small leaves, I usually spray them with insecticidal soap - isopropyl alcohol + neutral dishwashing soap + water - as a preventive solution to kill bugs and pests.
 
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