What's eating my dwarf cavendish banana?

Dwarf Cavendish shares all banana pest pressures but its compact size makes it popular as a container plant, where spider mites and mealybugs become the dominant indoor threats. Outdoors, banana weevil and burrowing nematodes remain the most serious risks to the corm and root system.

Larval tunnels through the corm cause wilting, poor fruiting, and eventual plant collapse. Plant only certified clean corms; use pheromone traps outdoors. Remove old pseudostem debris. Hot-water treat corms before planting.

White cottony masses in leaf axils and on the pseudostem; sticky honeydew and sooty mould; stunted, twisted new leaves. Dab colonies with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol; apply neem oil or insecticidal soap. For container plants, quarantine new acquisitions before mixing with other tropicals.

Yellow stippling and fine webbing on leaf undersides; leaves brown from tips inward in hot, dry indoor conditions. Increase humidity around the plant; wipe leaves with damp cloth. Apply insecticidal soap or predatory mites (Phytoseiidae).

Colonies at leaf bases cause leaf curl and honeydew; vectors Banana Bunchy Top Virus outdoors. Blast off with water; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil. Remove severely infected plants to prevent virus spread.