What's eating my chamaedorea hooperiana?

Chamaedorea hooperiana, the clustering parlour palm, is susceptible to spider mites when indoor air is dry, and mealybugs can colonise its dense clumping stems. Scale insects and fungus gnats are secondary indoor threats. Regular misting, good drainage, and monthly leaf inspection keep this palm healthy and pest-free.

Pale yellowish stippling on fronds, fine webbing, especially bad in heated dry rooms in winter Increase humidity with a pebble tray or humidifier; shower the plant; treat with insecticidal soap or neem oil

White cottony deposits at leaf bases and between canes; honeydew attracts sooty mould Wipe with alcohol-soaked cotton; apply neem oil spray; repeat every 5–7 days for four weeks

Adult flies around compost; larvae feed on fine roots causing yellowing and poor growth Allow compost to dry between waterings; use yellow sticky traps; apply Steinernema feltiae nematodes to the soil