got homaledra sabalella?

[Frond of Palms]

Today, when pruning one of my Copernicia Alba I notice at first what looked like brown fungus growing on the back side of a leaf. I brushed it off and discovered that it was fecal matter caused by insect damage. Took a walk around the yard to inspect some of my other palms and sure enough found it again on two others types. I haven’t seen anything like this in the fifteen years of living here in west central Florida (growing zone 9a). So, I got on the computer and found that the culprit is the larva of a small moth called the Palm Leaf Skeletonizer or Homaledra Sabalella. This pest has also been recorded in the state of California. The best way to control the infestation in home gardens is to simply use dish soap on a wet sponge and wash the infested area, or use a garden hose if out of reach. I signed to PT and ran a search to find out how wide spread this problem is, but the search came back with no results. Has anyone living in any other state experience this problem?

on Copernicia Alba

on Livistona Chinensis

on Copernicia Prunifera

Edited February 8, 2015 by Frond of Palms

[Moose]

It is common pest here in Florida, the "poop" you seeing is called frass. It is a waste product of the larvae of a small moth that eats the tissue between the leaf lamina. You will find it mostly on the older leaves. Some years you see it more prevalent than others. It does not kill palms, its just cosmetic. If it really bothers you, you need to use a systemic pesticide as a root drench. Spraying the leaves does not come in contact with the larvae. Very little pesticide gets absorbed into the leaf. Most palm leaves do not absorb systemics through the leaves, plus the frass repels the pesticide. On a Copernicia prunifera and alba, you have so much wax on those leaves that any applied pesticide would run off and provide nearly 0 benefit.

Its up to you but in my garden I don't treat for the leaf skeletonizer. Applying enough systemic pesticide as a root drench to be translocated to the leaves to be effective is substantial. The root drench kiils all the microbes, little critters and earth worms that are needed to maintain a healthy living soil. Healthy soil = happy palm roots=happy palm.

[LJG]

Moose, I don't buy that soil drenches kill "all" microbes, earthworms (NeoNics pretty toxic here) and little critters if you use them on rare instances and as directed. It certainly isn't beneficial but it isn't something that nukes all living things in the soil. Also, I disagree that you need "substantial" systemic to get to the leaves. I use NeoNics and the percentage of killing agent is small and the amount to use per plant is really quite small as well. I have a few Cocothrinax that get hit with various moth larvae and a 2 gallon watering can of Imidicloprid kills the larvae in a few days on a large trunking palm. That is only 2 ounches of Bayer at .74% active ingredient. Also remember that NeoNics can be adsorbed by the leaves, so when doing a drench I pour over the leaves too.

[Frond of Palms]

Sounds like powerful stuff. I have an awful problem with white scale on Cycas revolta, will these treatments work as well?

Been told you can't get rid of white scale, it can only be controld.

[tjwalters]

... Most palm leaves do not absorb systemics through the leaves...

Do you have a reference for this? I treat my palms each fall with a foliar spray before bringing them into the conservatory. If I do not, I end up with severe spider mite problems, and sometimes scale problems - especially on some of the Chamaedorea. Seems to work fine for me.

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

Yes, and along with potassium deficiency, it can make a palm rather ugly.

[Tingtongthai]

Well here in Thailand I have found NO way to control these and they are  rampant on my land, in other areas I dont see them at all.

Contrary to what Ive read they attack almost EVERY palm species, so far thats Bismarckia, All Latania, Butia, Syagrus, Cyrtostachys, Old  man palm, Medemia Argun, All Livistona varieties, Allogoptera, Coconuts,  Areca Cetachu , Borrasus Flabefellier, Copernicia Baileyana, Copernicia Hospita, Dictosperma Album,Dypsis leptocheilos, Hyophorbes,Phoenix  Sylvestris, Hyphaene Coricea and Petersiana, , Pritchardia Hillbrandii,Many Licualas,Tahina Spectabilis, Kerriodoxa Elegans, Nannorhops, Verschafeltii Splendida,Adonidia Merrillii..................

The ones its doesnt touch are   Carpentaria  dont like at all Wodyetias or  Arenga Australasica, Any Caryota, Coccothrinax Species, Dypsis Madagascarienis. Roystonea Regia , Phoenix  Pusilla

No solution and if I dont keep washing them off the leaves (150+trees) its going to be a hell of a mess.

At wits end Tried Carbosulfan, tried BT  did nothing at all about to try Neem Oil 

Things Ive noticed, birds sometimes nest in the leaves of Bismarckias and this massively increases the Skeletoniser around the bird  nest area,  you dont see hardly any of the moths flying round at night in  fact  hard  to find  any, read sandy soil had a higher amount of the moth and I have that here.

many coconuts around here have been decimated by this, every leaf stripped  bare and its HAS killed the tree, Ill try get some photos  later but then right next to a  few   ALL brown frass ridden  trees  are some perfectly ok and unaffected coconuts of the same variety???? what have they got the others  havent?

 

I have to choose and plant up about 1 acre more of trees and this is going to severely  limit what I can grow

It started about 18  months-2  years ago as the trees  got  bigger especially the Bismarckias, before that they never got any

[Tingtongthai]

Edited October 23, 2017 by Tingtongthai

[Tingtongthai]

Being eaten away, yet  in the same  plot of land planted at the same time,  all the same size the rest are  fine, no infestation at all

[Tingtongthai]

Nobody in the world got this problem?

Read ants  might be able to help by eating the caterpillars but also a  wasp is a predator of this species of  caterpillar

[Kris]

Very interesting and useful topic for those living in hot-wet zones.constant exposure to moisture and coastal humidity can cause all types of problems in palms.

 

[Tingtongthai]

The answer for anyone else to kill them is Cypermethrin, sprayed or direct injection into the trunk thru holes bored in and sealed afterwards