Spider mites
Fine webbing strung between the fronds, plus a dusty, stippled look, is the classic sign of spider mites — the number-one pest of parlor palms.
Diagnosis
Spider mites
What's happening
Spider mites are nearly microscopic pests that thrive in the warm, dry indoor air parlor palms often live in. They cluster on the undersides of the fine leaflets and pierce the tissue to feed, leaving thousands of tiny pale dots (stippling) that make the fronds look faded and dusty, and spinning fine webs as the colony explodes. Left alone they can defoliate a palm quickly.
How to fix it
Isolate the plant so the mites don't spread, then rinse the whole plant — especially the undersides of the fronds — under a strong stream of lukewarm water to knock the colony back. Follow up by spraying thoroughly with neem oil, coating both sides of every frond, and repeat every 5–7 days for three or four rounds to catch newly hatched mites. Raising humidity and keeping the plant away from heat vents makes it far less hospitable to mites going forward.
What fixes it
- Neem oil for pests — Neem oil smothers mites and their eggs; coat both sides of every frond and repeat weekly until the webbing is gone.
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