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Areca leaves with white patches and small black marks

My areca palm seems to have this problem across most of its leaves to some degree. I showed the picture to the garden centre but they thought it looked like aphids so I got pyrethrum for it.

Doesn't look like much has changed so am hoping for a second opinion.

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This is definitely an insect problem but I cannot tell what kind they are.

Pyrethrum is usually distributed as a dust. If you have purchased a white powder there are better ways to control the problem.

  • Take a cloth or paper towel and soak in a solution of 5 ml dish soap to 1 liter of water.
  • Then wipe all the leaves of the plant so you are covering the top and bottom of all the leaves.
  • Repeat at least twice every five to six days to catch the next generation of the pest when they hatch

Soap and water will kill most insects and will not put dust into the air. If you have other plants you should inspect them closely to see if they have the same problem and treat them too.

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  • Thanks for that! Yes one other palm might have caught a few too. My pyrethrum comes as a spray so I have sprayed them all over. Maybe they've died where they are but I'll use your suggestion to remove them. Could they be scale though I couldn't seem to find similar examples online?
    – Jay L
    Mar 28, 2022 at 18:38
  • @JayL Many scale are brown and look like a bump on the leaf. They frequently exude a sticky sap. I see a long insect in the middle right of the picture, not a whitefly or aphid but soap and water will do the job. The pyrethrum has some residual activity so that is a good control as well
    – kevinskio
    Mar 28, 2022 at 20:07

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