How to Kill Mealybugs on a Sago Palm

Sago palms are compact evergreen plants that make an attractive addition to home interiors. The plants can also be grown outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 8 through 10. Sago palms are hardy plants that are easy to grow with little additional care. However, the plants are prone to mealybug infestations. Mealybugs are small, oval insects that use their sharp mouthparts to feed on the sap from sago palm foliage. Severe infestations can cause discolored foliage, irregular growth and plant death. Mealybugs are easy to kill on sago palms with the proper treatment.

Cotton swabs
Rubbing alcohol
Water hose
Insecticidal soap
Horticultural oil

Instructions

- 1
  Inspect the foliage of your sago palm carefully to identify where mealybugs are located on your plant. Mealybugs range in size from 1/20 to 1/5 of an inch and have an oval-shaped body covered with a white, waxy coating. They are slow-moving insects that do not flee as you observe them.
- 2
  Soak a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and rub the cotton swab over mealybugs on the infested palm to kill the bugs on contact. This treatment is effective for small numbers of mealybugs on a sago palm, but it is not practical to carry out when there are heavy infestations.
- 3
  Move the sago palm container's to an open area outside and spray the foliage with a solid jet of water from a garden hose to dislodge and drown heavy mealybug infestations.
- 4
  Treat the sago palm with a horticultural oil or insecticidal soap after spraying the mealybugs off to prevent any remaining eggs or larvae from developing and feeding on the foliage.
- 5
  Monitor your sago palm regularly for any signs of mealybugs and retreat as needed. Mealybugs can be persistent pests that require multiple applications of insecticidal soaps to permanently remove infestations on your sago palm.

Recommended Care for Poinsettias

How to Make Fertilizer Out of Paper

Plant Basics