Termites vs Palm?

[Looking Glass]

I noticed some dry area of the trunk of one of the Livistona chinensis had been flaking off over the past year.  It’s in the stronger of the pair.   Today I noticed it looked bad.   It’s happening about 8-9 feet up, where the trunk meets the junk before the fronds come out.  These look tiny in the pics, but they aren’t that small.  They are probably 18 feet tall to the highest spear.  

The outer bark has kind of come off in this area.  Down about 1/2-1 inches to some sort of under bark.  

It’s a dry rot it looks like.   Flaking off in chunks.  There are some little holes in the dry chips, that could be termite galleries.  I noticed during seaming season, that termites seemed to be flying around, or from, the tree a lot, but can’t say for sure if they were emerging from it to swarm, or just checking it out.  

The bottom trunks and its twin look fine…  but the outer bark up top is flaking off in sizable chunks that are like light, dry cork.  

 

The trees are probably pretty old.  They predate my arrival here.   I did kill off a ficus in there with repeated cutting when we first moved in.   It was rooted in the junk area, and I just cut its emerging trunk a few times till it died off.   I can’t see how that could be related, though some dead roots are still wrapped around up there.   

I’m just getting this area looking good and now I’m afraid the head of this palm may fall off at some point.   These palms also give valuable shade to the driveway and plants below for the morning hours, before everything fries from midday to sunset.  Would hate to lose them.  

Anyone have problems with dry rot on palms?  I see it on Sabal Palms here sometimes. If it’s drywood termites, I’m not sure there much you can do.   There’s no mud tubes from subterraneans.   

[happypalms]

32 minutes ago, Looking Glass said:

I noticed some dry area of the trunk of one of the Livistona chinensis had been flaking off over the past year.  It’s in the stronger of the pair.   Today I noticed it looked bad.   It’s happening about 8-9 feet up, where the trunk meets the junk before the fronds come out.  These look tiny in the pics, but they aren’t that small.  They are probably 18 feet tall to the highest spear.  

The outer bark has kind of come off in this area.  Down about 1/2-1 inches to some sort of under bark.  

It’s a dry rot it looks like.   Flaking off in chunks.  There are some little holes in the dry chips, that could be termite galleries.  I noticed during seaming season, that termites seemed to be flying around, or from, the tree a lot, but can’t say for sure if they were emerging from it to swarm, or just checking it out.  

The bottom trunks and its twin look fine…  but the outer bark up top is flaking off in sizable chunks that are like light, dry cork.  

 

The trees are probably pretty old.  They predate my arrival here.   I did kill off a ficus in there with repeated cutting when we first moved in.   It was rooted in the junk area, and I just cut its emerging trunk a few times till it died off.   I can’t see how that could be related, though some dead roots are still wrapped around up there.   

I’m just getting this area looking good and now I’m afraid the head of this palm may fall off at some point.   These palms also give valuable shade to the driveway and plants below for the morning hours, before everything fries from midday to sunset.  Would hate to lose them.  

Anyone have problems with dry rot on palms?  I see it on Sabal Palms here sometimes. If it’s drywood termites, I’m not sure there much you can do.   There’s no mud tubes from subterraneans.   

Good luck with your situation nice looking neighbourhood as well 

[Looking Glass]

16 minutes ago, happypalms said:

Good luck with your situation nice looking neighbourhood as well 

Thanks.   Most of the trees around here are palms of one kind or another, so it’s fun to walk around, looking for the occasional rare specimen.  Unfortunately, termites are common here too, and swarms are getting worse every year.   And the houses are old and have a lot of wooden beams and edges.   Don’t you guys have a lot of termites down under too?  Drywood termites are a problem around here, among others.   Nothin like going outside at dusk after a late spring rain, and seeing fliers all around the lights and probing every wooden structure in sight.