Like all palm trees, the Areca palm is very robust and is rarely attacked by pests. In any case, pests only appear if the palm tree is not cared for properly. How to recognize pests and what you can do about them.
How do you fight pests on the Areca palm?
The most common pests on Areca palms are spider mites and thrips. To combat spider mites, shower the palm tree and wipe the leaves with alcohol-soaked cloths. If there are thrips, spray the palm tree regularly with rainwater and possibly put up blue signs. Biological controllers such as lacewings or predatory mites can also help.
What pests are present?
Two pests can cause problems for the Areca palm: spider mites and thrips. A he althy palm tree can deal with these pests quite well on its own.
Only if the plant is already weakened can the pest infestation cause the palm to lose its fronds or die completely. Thrips show growth disorders.
If pests appear, you must immediately quarantine the palm tree. If it is close to other plants, there is a risk that the unwanted visitors will spread everywhere.
Fighting spider mites
You can recognize the presence of spider mites by the fine webs that can be seen on the fronds. They are mainly located on the leaf axils and the edges of the leaves. They become particularly noticeable when you spray the Areca palm with water.
Wash the palm tree well with the shower, from above and below. You should then carefully wipe the leaves with cloths. You can achieve good results in the fight if you soak the cloths with alcohol beforehand.
What can you do against thrips?
Thrips can be recognized by the suction marks that the pests, which are one to three millimeters in size, leave on the leaves. Sometimes small bumps that are brown or almost black can also be seen.
Shower the Areca palm. You should repeat this process several times. Cover the soil so that the pests cannot hide there. If there is a severe infestation, putting up blue signs (€8.00 on Amazon) helps. These panels attract the thrips so that they do not settle on the palm tree.
Thrips like things dry. Spray the Areca palm regularly with rainwater to prevent these pests from appearing in the first place.
Tip
Spider mites on the non-toxic Areca palm can be easily controlled naturally by using lacewings or predatory mites. You can get these biological controllers from garden shops or online.
