Scale insects
A sticky film on the fronds and small brown, shell-like bumps clinging to the stems point to scale insects.
Diagnosis
Scale insects
What's happening
Scale are sap-sucking insects that hide under a waxy, brown, immobile shell along the stalks and frond midribs, where they're easy to mistake for part of the plant. As they feed they excrete sticky honeydew that coats the fronds and anything below the plant, and heavy infestations sap the palm's vigor and yellow the fronds.
How to fix it
Wipe or scrape the visible bumps off with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, then treat the whole plant — stems, midribs, and frond undersides — with insecticidal soap, repeating every 7–10 days for several weeks to catch the mobile young crawlers. Check nearby plants too, since scale spreads slowly from pot to pot, and clean off the sticky honeydew as you go.
What fixes it
- Insecticidal soap — Insecticidal soap kills the soft-bodied crawlers; spray thoroughly and repeat to break the cycle.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full Parlor Palm care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this