What's eating my ceylon date palm?

Ceylon Date Palm (Phoenix pusilla) is vulnerable to red palm weevil where the pest has spread across South and Southeast Asia. Scale insects and spider mites are common in cultivation. In Sri Lanka and southern India, rhinoceros beetle can also damage the crown. Monitor the spear leaf regularly for early collapse signs.

Central spear leaf wilts and pulls out easily; grubs tunnel through the crown; fermented smell from the growing point Trunk injection with systemic insecticide; fill crown wounds with insecticide-soaked packing; use pheromone traps for monitoring

V-shaped cuts in emerging fronds; holes bored into the crown base where adults feed Physically remove adults; apply Oryctes baculovirus biocontrol where available; keep surrounding debris clear as beetles breed in decaying organic matter

Hard encrustations on frond midribs and petioles; reduced frond vigor; honeydew and sooty mold Horticultural oil spray; scrub off heavy colonies; systemic insecticide for severe infestations