What's eating my bush cycad?

Bush Cycad (Encephalartos trispinosus) is most commonly attacked by armored scale insects and mealybugs in cultivation, with seed weevils damaging cones in the wild and garden settings. Scale builds up quickly on the stiff, spiny leaves and can cause severe yellowing. Routine horticultural oil treatments and good airflow keep populations manageable.

Hard waxy encrustations on leaf surfaces and petioles; yellowing and premature frond death under heavy pressure Scrub off visible scale with a soft brush; apply horticultural oil or petroleum-based spray weekly for a month; avoid overwatering which stresses the plant

Fluffy white wax deposits in protected crevices; honeydew and sooty mold; weakened, distorted new leaves Spot-treat with 70% isopropyl alcohol; spray neem oil solution over the whole plant; repeat every 10 days until clear

Larvae tunnel into seeds inside cones, destroying viability; infested seeds collapse and fail to germinate Collect and examine seeds early; destroy infested material; use a preventive systemic insecticide drench when cones are forming