The invention relates to the field of pest control technique of forest and fruit industries, and provides a method for controlling almond scale insects. The method comprises the following steps: evenly spraying a defoliant on a crown of an almond tree during a period between the last ten days of September and the first ten days of October, wherein, the defoliant is prepared by diluting 1ml of 40%etephon aqua with 200-300 times of water by volume. In the method, a plant growth regulator is used for reducing the base number of overwintering pests by making use of a habit that second-instar nymphs of the almond scale insects transfer from leaves to branches to live through the winter, thus achieving control on the damages of the almond scale insects, changing the traditional method and a period of controlling the almond scale insects by an insecticide, producing environmental pollution, causing no pesticide resistance of the pests and avoiding mistaken killing of the natural enemies of the pests.