Those last pics look like some kind of scale.....??

Gill UK

@Greenclaws thanks for taking a look:)

It's a nightmare on elm street!

ez

Haha @Ez it really feels that way, it never occurred to me to check the new surroundings, lesson learned. I wanted to cry, but realized my 4yr old was tearing up, so I had to act like it was no biggie that we have to dump all of our plants ;/

I don't know what the first three pics show, The last two in the first post are definitely scale insects as I said earlier but would add that if they are on those plants shown in the previous two pics, they are not on Palm trees as all Palms are basically either pinnate ie feather like leaves, or palmate, ie hand shaped leaves,there a few which are variations on the palmate type, but none have fully separated leaves like you show.....the plants in the pics could be a cordyline, dracaena or similar, but defo NOT a palm:) Your last two pics are mealy bugs in the biggest infestation to date, yuk!!!! Sorry to hear you have had such an issue, I hope you can resolve it.

Gill UK

Hi @greenclaws, it is horrible..I have never seen anything like it, and as I began looking around I discovered basically every shrub, bush, etc is infested!! It's quite depressing. I loved my outside guys and it's hard to let them go, I can't imagine containing the problem. I'm guessing the whole neighborhood is infested. My next concern is my indoor guys and if it's possible for them to get it? Thanks for your concern and many blessings too!

It appears that all the other shrubs have it also, I'll try and get pics tomorrow if it doesn't rain. Thank you Crenda for the advice too, I will do it (:

Crenda, yes, yucca! For the life of me I couldn't think of that species, that was my first choice of ID, but couldn't bring it to name at the time of posting :)

@ Otc......if all the shrubs in the area have it, maybe worth contacting the authorities to see if they could help, especially if those plants are not within your garden boundaries but on the pavement areas....are you actually responsible for them? Just curious.......

Gill UK

I am not an expert but our Sago's had the same problem with a very thick covering of scale. I tried several home made sprays but it did not help. It got so bad all the fronds started to yellow. I finally purchased some malathion at Lowes and sprayed the plant real good so it ran down into the soil. Our plants are in large in pots so it is easier to control. About a week later It looked like the scale stopped but the fronds were all in bad shape. I then cut all the fronds from the plant and that left just the trunk. A few weeks later new fronds started to come out. The plant now looks great with nice green fronds and new ones are growing. This may not work for everyone but if I didn't try something the plants were going to be killed by the scale.

I remember these guys. No problems with me anymore. I use imidacloprid in the form of Bayer 3 in 1. Cut the solution down some for indoor plants. Does the job. Do not use on flowers because it kills bees and food item plants that we may eat. I try to use it a month before I bring all the plants inside.

Mary - just a suggestion here. Take a clipping from the hedges and the Sago and put them in zip lock bags. This will keep you from spreading it while seeking help with the ID, but make it easy to look at.

Call the county ag extension and see if they do weekly examinations of plants. Ours here in Lee County set up shop on Thursdays at a park in Ft. Myers. They will ID the pest or disease in plants and tell you how to handle it. Sometimes they can do the ID over the phone, especially if there is a county-wide outbreak of something.

And lastly, sometimes the people working at Lowes or HD garden shops are pretty good at IDing a problem. You can show them the clippings and see what they have to say. And the folks at the farmer's market may be able to help you as well.

Good luck! I know what a pain this is. I had 2 giant Sago palms in Broward that got infected with the armored scale. The county extension came out to look at my plants!

@Ealdwood here is the sago, and suggestions that we're thoughtfully made. I have tried a few times to contact the local ag but no luck yet. I also have considered getting the bayer but hesitate due to the sago being huge by my standards for sagos. Also the next issue being every single house within a mile radius has a sago out front, and I'm almost positive they're all infested. It seems to be a common issue in Florida. I started evaluating my guys early this morning which probably wasn't the best way to start the day because now it seems like the glass is less than half empty;/

The Bayer 3 in 1 will do the trick. It has a systemic that will really kill the mealies and scale in the longer term. You could also just use an imidicloprid soil drench or granule.

Anyone with these creepy crawlies is advised to use my 'HOLY GRAIL' for everything! I use it in my outdoor greenhouse AND my indoor too! It is called NEEM OIL. I buy it at Lowes. It is half the price of anyone online! $10 for 16 oz follow instructions on the back. I have so much to spray that I put it in my backpack sprayer and keep it handy at all times. To 4gallons I use a big 'glug' of it will about a cup of BLUE Dawn dish soap. The Neem oil suffocates any bugs and also leaves a residual coating as an anti-fungal protection. Never leave it on in the sun though. It will 'cook' your plant. So after it dries, hose it off. Weekly applications are needed. Has a strong smell for a while, but I kinda like it. All organic and won't hurt any pets! Make sure to saturate tops and bottoms of leaves, stalks, and the surrounding soil. If I've left potting soil out and it's gotten bugs, I saturate it with Neem and let it dry out. AWESOME stuff!

I actually was looking at neem oil yesterday when I was looking for 3 in 1 locally thanks for the tip