What's eating my ptychosperma elegans?

Solitaire Palm (Ptychosperma elegans) is an indoor and tropical garden palm most threatened by scale insects and mealybugs. Spider mites are common when humidity drops. Outdoors in tropical regions, palm leaf beetles can shred fronds. Its relatively slender trunk makes it vulnerable to any pest that weakens the crown.

Sticky honeydew, sooty mold, and yellow stippling on fronds; hard bumps clustered on petioles Wipe fronds with neem oil dilution; apply horticultural oil spray every 2–3 weeks; remove heavily infested fronds

White cottony wax deposits in frond axils and at the base of the crown; sticky residue on lower leaves Remove with isopropyl alcohol on cotton buds; apply neem oil or insecticidal soap; isolate from nearby palms

Pale bronze stippling and fine silk webbing on leaflet undersides; worse in dry, low-humidity environments Mist foliage regularly; increase ambient humidity; apply neem oil or a miticide labeled for ornamentals

Adults and larvae scrape and shred young leaflets causing a dried, scorched appearance to emerging fronds Apply a systemic insecticide as a trunk injection or soil drench; remove and destroy heavily damaged fronds; consult local plant health guidance