Pygmy Date Palm

Ok, I swear this is the last one. Are you sick of me yet? :)

This is a photo of my pygmy date palm. The new shoots have tiny why clusters of some kind of bug. They spray off quite easily with the hose, so I cleaned them all off. I was spraying some neem on other things, so I gave this a shot of it too. What are these bugs and what is the best way to prevent them from returning? This happened in only a matter of days, so they seem pretty diligent to have gathered so quickly. I'm worried that I'll turn my back on them and they'll kill the palm.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!

Have a wonderful day. :~)

They look like mealy bugs. If they are, they can wipe out a plant very quickly. They have been very bad on my Portulackas two years in a row. I finally saved the ones this year by daily using SEVIN in the spray bottle.
Pati

oh no! So do you think I need something heavier duty then the neem oil? I've heard that Sevin was pretty strong. I'll do whatever it takes to save the tree. Thanks Pati!

I don't know a lot about pest control (new gardner ignorance), but when my plants were threatened I went for the big guns!! I like to use the product that I can get the quickest results with so I don't have to continue using it for a long period. I also like to use the spray because I have other plants that the bees and butterflys like. This way I can get close and aim it at the pest and it doesn't get on my other plants.

Last year I dumped all the plants, pots and dirt in the canal. I read that the mealy bug can live in the soil so it's not a good idea to reuse it.
Pati

Good to know, thank you. I'm a new gardener as well. So things are going well now that you've used the sevin and got rid of the offending dirt and plant material?

Yes, things are much better this year. I saw them, squirted them, and saved my Portulacas! They are persistant, so I look my plants over every day and if I see one I just pinch off the whole stem. I don't know why they pick on this plant, I've never found them on anything else.
Pati

glad you've got it under control. I haven't tried that variety, but they look interesting!

Those bugs are almost always there thanks to ant activity... recommend put something down around your palms for ants... though my personal experience with battling ants is that ultimately they always win. But the battles at least seem to keep down the plant pets.

Thanks Palmbob! Do you reccommend something for the ants?

Thanks, Dr Bob. My palms are in big pots and so far I haven't had any problems. But the Passion Vine...SHEESH!!! We have so many different kinds of ants here that we have a spray service monthly to mix cocktails for the varius tribes. I think that is one reason I don't have as many problems with pests. Of course the fire ants are a different story.
Pati

THere are all sorts of concoctions at the outlet stores for ants... I find the traps are worthless... granules don't help... but some sprays are pretty good.. however, can't recall which they are- the brands and ingredients seem to change all the time. I am sure the product that worked the best is probably some serious health hazard and off the market now.. but several seem to work.

Ok, I'll steer clear of all but the sprays.

On a side note, I was reading that palms need a lot of water. Does this sound correct? Before I grew them, I assumed the opposite since they grow all over the desert. I have two pygmys that are smallish, but also three king palms that are pretty large. Right now while it's hot, I'm watering them pretty frequently since everything around them looks wilty with less water. My landscaper added some aerators so that the big trees could get some air to their roots - not sure if that was neccessary or not, but I figured he was the expert. All the kings have put out new shoots, so they seem happy but it may be too early to tell. All my landscaping is only about 6 months old. What is your opinion?