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What is this bug and how do I get rid of them

FallbrookCA

By FallbrookCA
in DISCUSSING PALM TREES WORLDWIDE

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FallbrookCA Enthusiast

FallbrookCA

Posted
Posted

What is this bug (I don't mean the ants), I seem to have them on a bunch of the new growths on my palms. If they don't really do much then I guess I can leave them, I'm just concerned they will damage the palms 

Screenshot_2016-12-14-09-28-07.png

Screenshot_2016-12-14-09-27-56.png

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quaman58 Grand Master

quaman58

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Posted

Scale bugs. Evil things. The ants "farm" them. The scale insects suck the life out of your palm, then excrete honeydew when "probed" by the ants. Left unchecked, they can eventually kill the plant. Soapy water is good to keep them beat back.

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Bret

 

Coastal canyon area of San Diego

 

"In the shadow of the Cross"

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Pando Grand Master

Pando

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If the soap and coffee don't keep it under control, get rid of the ants using Termidor SC, and use a systemic insecticide such as Bayer Tree & Shrub to get rid of the scale. Never use that stuff though if anything is flowering, in order to protect the bees.

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DoomsDave Grand Master

DoomsDave

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I concur with all.

Get rid of the ants and the Ladybugs of Doom will annihilate the scale.

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Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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Pando Grand Master

Pando

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Posted (edited)

And I concur with Dave :). Best get rid of the ants first, and when they're no longer protecting them it will attract beneficial insects that snack on the scale.

It's amazing how well Termidor does its thing, just be careful where you apply it. A few squirts on the ant trail nukes them, and a small 20oz bottle (~$50) will last you for many years.

Edited by Pando
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Palm Tree Jim Grand Master

Palm Tree Jim

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3 hours ago, Pando said:

And I concur with Dave :). Best get rid of the ants first, and when they're no longer protecting them it will attract beneficial insects that snack on the scale.

It's amazing how well Termidor does its thing, just be careful where you apply it. A few squirts on the ant trail nukes them, and a small 20oz bottle (~$50) will last you for many years.

Termidor works great!

Great advice above.

 

 

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DoomsDave Grand Master

DoomsDave

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If you still have some, some diazinon or dursban also kill ants, too. Both the powder and liquid. If you use liquid, give the palm a huge drink of water, then follow up with the bug killer around the roots. It won't hurt bees, etc., since it's not systemic.

I have some, and I recently used it to give one of my Ptychospermas a new lease on health and happiness.

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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FallbrookCA Enthusiast

FallbrookCA

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On Wed Dec 14 2016 10:31:00 GMT-0800, Pal Meir said:

:rant: … and the little diluted 2nd brew of coffee they don’t like too. :evil:

I've heard coffee as well but would coffee grounds around the base of the trunk work too? I heard that can help palms as well but what exactly does it do? I don't want to give the palms too much of anything that would hurt it. 

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FallbrookCA Enthusiast

FallbrookCA

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On Wed Dec 14 2016 15:52:24 GMT-0800, DoomsDave said:

If you still have some, some diazinon or dursban also kill ants, too. Both the powder and liquid. If you use liquid, give the palm a huge drink of water, then follow up with the bug killer around the roots. It won't hurt bees, etc., since it's not systemic.

I have some, and I recently used it to give one of my Ptychospermas a new lease on health and happiness.

Have you used Malathion? Any pros or cons to that? Someone gave me a bottle but I haven't used it yet.

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quaman58 Grand Master

quaman58

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You could, but it's overkill. I would go as non lethal as possible, knowing that the winter will beat back the argentine ants significantly. 

Bret

 

Coastal canyon area of San Diego

 

"In the shadow of the Cross"

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Josh-O Grand Master

Josh-O

Posted
Posted
On 12/14/2016, 3:46:48, Palm Tree Jim said:

Termidor works great!

Great advice above.

 

 

where did you buy yours?

Carlsbad, California Zone 10 B on the hill (402 ft. elevation)

Sunset zone 24

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DCA_Palm_Fan Mentor

DCA_Palm_Fan

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Are we sure that is scale?  They look like a variation of Aphids to me.  Ants farm Aphids for their honeydew. Thats why they are there.  Do ants similarly farm scale?  I'm asking because I don't know.   They also look different than any scale I have seen.  

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WestCoastGal Grand Master

WestCoastGal

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At first I thought scale too. Scale comes in different colors as I've discovered when I was researching our sago scale a few years back. We're big fans of coffee "tea" spray (made from 2nd run coffee grounds--Starbucks or other coffee shops are helpful here if you don't drink coffee) and the use of lady bugs (just be careful not to kill the lady bugs with anything you've applied to the infected plant). We incorporated our left over grounds from the spray into the ground at the base of our plants too on occasion. Be careful if you do this though since coffee grounds can stay clumped together and can become a different issue. And yes, ants do love scale as well as aphids. 

That said, OP's insects also look like the aphid photo with ants in this following article. The little white rings around some of the insects in OP's photo makes me unsure if they are scale and not aphids.  http://www.palmtreepassion.com/palm-tree-pests.html#.WFcswTvthEc  Plus in both photos, and more so in the 2nd one where there's a better image of one of the bugs, I see a striped appearance to it that reminds me more of body of an aphid at a certain stage.

Here's an article from the Univ. of Calif. showing some of the kinds of scale varieties: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7408.html  Here's their webpage with photos of various kinds of aphids: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7404.html. If you get a better close up photo of some of the buggers it might help you identify it one way or the other. Helpful if you can see an example of more than one stage of the insect.

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Zone 9b (formerly listed as Zone 9a); Sunset 14

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WestCoastGal Grand Master

WestCoastGal

Posted
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BTW we purchase our lady bug (lady beetles) from an Ace Hardware Garden Center locally but have picked them up at Orchard Supply Hardware's garden center as well. Can't say if Home Depot or Lowes carries them in their garden centers but they probably do. Newbies to this natural control should know to look for them in a refrigerated area of the garden section. The cold will slow them down until you release them near dusk onto the infected plants. Make sure you are buying containers with lots of live lady bugs as over time they will die off in the container if not released. We generally do a multi-night release and store the container back in our refrigerator (sounds gross I know) until all have been released. They are voracious eaters and will stay with your plant until the food source is gone and then fly away.

The comment about controlling the ants first is a good one. We've seen ants go after a lady bug. 

There are other natural predators as shown in this video and it's good to know what they look like in their various stages so you don't kill them off accidentally.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXMXh_DEyAE

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Zone 9b (formerly listed as Zone 9a); Sunset 14

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MattyB Grand Master

MattyB

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Sometimes just blasting them off with a jet of water from the hose will knock them back enough and they'll disappear.  Especially at this time of year when it's colder.  Always try water first.

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Matt Bradford

"Manambe Lavaka"

Spring Valley, CA (8.5 miles inland from San Diego Bay)

10B on the hill (635 ft. elevation)

9B in the canyon (520 ft. elevation)

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Josh-O Grand Master

Josh-O

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Posted
8 hours ago, MattyB said:

Sometimes just blasting them off with a jet of water from the hose will knock them back enough and they'll disappear.  Especially at this time of year when it's colder.  Always try water first.

I usually do the same thing. If they come back then I drop the chemical bombs..

muhuhahahaha

Carlsbad, California Zone 10 B on the hill (402 ft. elevation)

Sunset zone 24

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