What's eating my sabal mexicana?

Sabal mexicana (Mexican palmetto) is a tough outdoor palm but vulnerable to the palmetto weevil, palm leaf skeletonizer caterpillars, and bruchid beetle seed predators. The palmetto weevil is the most dangerous, with larvae tunneling through the crown and killing the growing point if the palm is stressed.

Adults bore into the crown; larvae excavate the stem interior, causing wilting, frond collapse, and death of the growing meristem Keep palms healthy and avoid wounding — stressed or wounded palms attract females; systemic imidacloprid injections at first sign; remove and destroy badly infested material

Caterpillars feed in groups on frond tissue between veins, leaving characteristic dark tubular castings and skeletonized, brown fronds Spray Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) on affected fronds when larvae are young; remove heavily infested fronds

Larvae tunnel into palm seeds, consuming the endosperm; seed predation can be significant in seed crops Collect seeds early and store in sealed containers; no treatment needed for established landscape trees