What's eating my christmas palm?

Christmas Palm (Adonidia merrillii) is planted outdoors in tropical and subtropical gardens and is vulnerable to scale insects, palm aphids, and the lethal yellowing phytoplasma disease vectored by planthopper insects. Rhinoceros beetles attack the crown in parts of Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Scale insects are the most common routine pest.

Crusty deposits on fronds and trunk; sticky honeydew and sooty mold; frond yellowing. Apply horticultural oil sprays; use systemic imidacloprid soil drench for widespread infestations.

Colonies on leaflet undersides cause sooty mold and reduce photosynthesis. Spray insecticidal soap or neem oil; encourage beneficial insects; repeat applications weekly.

Characteristic V-shaped cuts in fronds; boring damage in the crown can be fatal. Inspect crowns regularly; apply entomopathogenic fungi (Metarhizium) or pheromone traps around palm stands.

Premature fruit drop, blackening of inflorescences, then progressive frond yellowing from the bottom up until death. No cure once infected; inject oxytetracycline to slow progression; remove and destroy infected palms to protect neighbors.