Palm pest

Palm Mites

KillerSeriousManageableMostly cosmetic

Three kinds of mites feed on palms in Southwest Florida: spider mites, red palm mite and coconut mite. Most damage is cosmetic, and the first step is correcting the conditions that let mites build.

Stippled frondsWebbing

Palms it affects: Coconut palm, Areca palm, Christmas palm, Canary Island date palm, Sylvester palm, Medjool date palm, Foxtail palm, Queen palm, Royal palm

Report a concern Request an assessment

Coconut mite damage on young coconuts: brown, scarred husk spreading from under the cap.

Affects: Coconut palm, Areca palm, Christmas palm, Canary Island date palm and more
When it shows: Hot, dry, dusty weather, mainly May through June and October through November.
What we do first: Check water stress and dust sources first.

Report a concern

What you see

Signs in the field

Fine pale stippling on leaflets that turns bronze or rust-brown (spider mites)
Fine webbing at the base of leaflets on the underside (spider mites)
Yellow speckles and blotches on lower leaflets, with tiny reddish mites and no webbing (red palm mite)
Pale triangles under the cap of young coconuts that turn brown, corky and cracked (coconut mite)
Tiny moving specks on white paper when a leaflet is tapped over it

Often confused with

Potassium deficiency Manganese deficiency Lethal bronzingWind and salt burnScale insectsThripsCold or rub damage on coconuts

From the field

Coconut mite damage on the nuts. On an ornamental coconut it is mostly cosmetic.

The detail

What else to know

What drives an outbreak

Mites flare in hot, dry, dusty weather, mainly May through June and October through November here. Water-stressed palms and palms near construction dust or unpaved roads are at higher risk.

A broad-spectrum insecticide sprayed for another pest can suppress the predatory mites that keep spider mites in check for 4 to 8 weeks. Spider mites rebound fast in that gap.

How serious is it

Spider mites are cosmetic to moderate. Red palm mite can yellow the whole lower canopy, and young coconut palms are hit hardest. Coconut mite damages the nuts, not the fronds, so on ornamental coconuts it is mostly cosmetic.

Mites alone rarely pull a palm below normal condition unless the infestation is severe, long-running or stacked on other stress.

How mites spread

Wind is the main route. Mites also ride on insects and birds, crawl between touching palms, and arrive on infested nursery stock.

What we do

How Ptolemy handles it

Field condition first, then the recommendation. Treatment, removal and diagnosis calls are made by an ISA Certified Arborist, and the serious ones are confirmed in a lab.

Fix the trigger first: restore irrigation, wash dusty foliage, and hold off broad-spectrum sprays nearby. Recheck in 10 to 14 days.
If mites keep building, horticultural oil or insecticidal soap with full coverage of leaflet undersides. A selective miticide only if that fails, chosen by our certified arborist with mode-of-action rotation.
Tap tests on the oldest fronds during the hot, dry windows and for 6 to 8 weeks after any broad-spectrum spray.
Inspect new palms with a hand lens before they go in the ground.
A confirmed red palm mite find goes in the client's written assessment as an established invasive.

Next step