granontherun
Hello Phil, we have a Kentia palm in our living room, which appears to have become infested with either mealy bugs or spider mites, I'm not sure which.
So far I have tried spraying the plant with a solution of neem oil and water, but it doesn't appear to be working, and it smells.
Please could you help by recommending some treatments for this problem, preferably organic or at least natural. I worry about the grandchild being exposed to chemicals.
Hello granontherun,
As I type your name the tune 'Band on the Run' by Wings is playing in my head – thanks a lot – that’s there all day now!! Your kentia palm – lovely, graceful plant when growing well, but mottled and streaked when infested by what I suspect are red spider mites. Lets discount mealy bugs though. They look like small woodlice covered with fuzz and move slowly around the plants, biting and chewing at the main veins causing yellowing. I guess you would have seen these and screamed! Red spider mite are tiny, green in colour ( red over winter) and in bad infestations can actually cause webs to appear. However, don't mistake them for the bugs you see running around brick walls outside on sunny days – completely different beasts. Your indoor red spider mites love a dry atmosphere. They suck the sap from plants causing a yellowing speckling or mottling on the upper surface, with red or green spider mites and their cast offs skulking on the lower surface. Now, control – they can become resistant to chemicals, some controls smell ( as you say) so I advise using a natural biological predator. OK, the idea of introducing another insect onto your plant may not be for the squeamish, but they work a treat. The mites of the predator called Phytoseiulus persimilis will eat the eggs of the red spider mite reducing its population. It needs to be warm for them to work ( around 20C) and April onwards is the best time to use it. It's safe, effective and available from mail order companies. If you search for biological controls of red spider mite you will find them– and they in turn will find your red spider mites. Good luck. Now I've got to get that song out of my head!