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Something is eating my palms????

16 years ago

The other night I was walking around the front yard and immediatey noticed our sylvester palm's newest top growth was tan to brown looking. I swear it wasnt like this last week. Careful examination of it yesterday indicates bugs...I think they are mealy bugs, but not sure, they are brown, hard shell looking insect. It also looks like some sort of scale. Its very hard to get inside this palm without getting injured. The same sort of thing keeps attacking my robellini's. How do you successfully get rid of this problem. Systemic insect killer doesnt seem to be working or works temporarily.

Thanks

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Comments (5)

maxcat
16 years ago
Do you have mulch around them? I was told to never mulch them. Mulch will cause them to have a fungus type scale. Putting rocks around them is ok.
alex_7b
16 years ago
It almost looks like scale. I didn't realize that Phoenix were subject to the infestation.

Spray the leaves and the bud with some Sevin. Get rid of the ants in the yard.
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gk5040
Original Author
16 years ago
We do have mulch, the landscaper suggested cypress mulch. We live in Florida, I would think rocks would get too hot and burn the roots, as well as not providing some sort of moisture retention. We dont have any ant problems. I will pick up some Sevin. What drives me nuts, is we have always taken care of our yard, no matter where we live, and we always have insects eating our plants. The neighbors who do nothing, and I mean nothing, never have a problem. Its just not fair:( I almost think every month regardless if it needs it, I am going to spray all my plants. As soon as one tree clears up and I think everything is ok another is developing some crazy symptom, ugh!
catkim
16 years ago
Mulch is good, just don't mound it up against the trunk.

Treat your palm with insecticidal soap -- it won't kill beneficials as sevin will. (Sevin kills honeybees, etc.) I had a similar problem on a Brahea nitida, and after spraying thoroughly all over, including undersides of leaves for 3 successive weeks, it was gone.

Here is a link that might be useful: Good info: Top Ten Ways to Kill a Palm
gk5040
Original Author
16 years ago
THanks for the suggestions. The mulch is not mounded, its fairly thin, not too thick. I have some insecticial soap, I will try that too. Did you have a scale on your tree. I do notice a few little bugs that appear to have a brown hard rounded shell on them.

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