Is this scale?

[chad2468emr]

In the midst of my battle with spider mites, I noticed that these little black things that were on the stalks of my young A. cunninghamianas straight out of the shipping box seem to be multiplying. The seedlings are healthy as can be and have been growing well so I have a hard time believing this could be a pest, but I wanted to confirm this wasn’t scale and it’s just a thing the palms have on them. I’ve seen similar “fuzzyness” on palms before that wasn’t anything to be alarmed about, but just something they naturally had. 
 

[Gonzer]

Weird, looks like aphids except palms aren't really their thing.

[Silas_Sancona]

2 hours ago, chad2468emr said:

In the midst of my battle with spider mites, I noticed that these little black things that were on the stalks of my young A. cunninghamianas straight out of the shipping box seem to be multiplying. The seedlings are healthy as can be and have been growing well so I have a hard time believing this could be a pest, but I wanted to confirm this wasn’t scale and it’s just a thing the palms have on them. I’ve seen similar “fuzzyness” on palms before that wasn’t anything to be alarmed about, but just something they naturally had. 
 

Looks like the normal fuzz you see on these, esp. seedlings.

[Tracy]

3 hours ago, Gonzer said:

Weird, looks like aphids except palms aren't really their thing.

 

2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Looks like the normal fuzz you see on these, esp. seedlings.

If you rub your finger lightly on it (them), you will find out if they are aphids or fuzz.  I have to say that it does look like aphids to me as well.  I don't recall that type of fuzz on any of the many volunteer A cunninghamiana I used to get when I let the seeds do their thing at the base of mine.  Maybe I just don't remember accurately though.

[The Gerg]

I’m also going aphids.

[Cikas]

On 10/22/2020 at 9:33 PM, chad2468emr said:

In the midst of my battle with spider mites, I noticed that these little black things that were on the stalks of my young A. cunninghamianas straight out of the shipping box seem to be multiplying. The seedlings are healthy as can be and have been growing well so I have a hard time believing this could be a pest, but I wanted to confirm this wasn’t scale and it’s just a thing the palms have on them. I’ve seen similar “fuzzyness” on palms before that wasn’t anything to be alarmed about, but just something they naturally had. 
 

Normal fuzz. 

[ruskinPalms]

Well. Does not look like the normal ramenta that would be seen on on A. Cunninghamina so probably something you can treat with dilute soapy water.

[96720]

If it was scale or aphids you would also see a lot of ants 

[96720]

This is scale

[Merlyn]

Buy a cheap magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe.  A fixed 10x to 20x will do pretty well, they even sell a double for only around $7.50 shipped on fleBay.  The cheap ones aren't all that great, with poor focal distance and all, but you'll be able to see the insect (or tomentum) easily!

[Johnny Palmseed]

59 minutes ago, Merlyn2220 said:

Buy a cheap magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe.  A fixed 10x to 20x will do pretty well, they even sell a double for only around $7.50 shipped on fleBay.  The cheap ones aren't all that great, with poor focal distance and all, but you'll be able to see the insect (or tomentum) easily!

That’s a great idea!

[96720]

You don’t need a magnifying glass to see them they are quite visible to the naked eye 

[chad2468emr]

*Heavy Sigh....* 

Thank you for all your help everyone! I’ve been really busy the last day or so and I finally got around to reading your replies. 

The Archontophoenix cluster has been sprayed with soap, and then I washed everything off manually with my fingers / a paper towel, and then patted it dry. Then I sprayed it with insecticide. 

Between this and the spider mites, how do these things survive in the wild? Feeling a little defeated and frustrated, to be honest. Feeling like I’m going to have to be compulsively spraying and inspecting palms for mites and pests three times a day from now on, haha. I found similar looking gunk on a nearby cluster of A. vestiaria that I have in a pot. They’ve now also been treated as I mentioned above  

At any rate, here’s the archonto cluster after I’d finished cleaning them up: 

[96720]

You can use a systemic like merit and it will take care of sucking bugs for about 6 months