Pest profile

Palmetto Scale

Comstockiella sabalis · Hemiptera: Halimococcidae[3]

Palmetto scale is a tiny armored scale insect found on many ornamental palms; it causes yellow blotches on fronds but is not usually a serious pest as long as its parasites are present.[1][2]

Palmetto scales, tiny whitish specks clustered on a palm frond
Palmetto scales, tiny whitish specks clustered on a palm frond. Photo: Adam Kranz, public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist

How to identify it

  • Females are about 1 to 1.5 mm across, light pink to reddish brown, nearly round but irregular, with an off-center white shed skin covered with yellow wax.[2]
  • Males are similar but smaller and more elongated, light pink or cream.[2]
  • Feeding shows as yellow splotches or general yellowing on the leaves; heavy infestations can spread to the trunk and fruit.[2]

Where it lives

It is probably native to the southern United States and occurs across the South, in Mexico and the Caribbean, and in greenhouses farther north.[2]

US map: public records from 8 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Details of its life cycle are not well known.[2]

A tiny parasitic wasp, Coccobius donatellae, is its primary parasitoid.[2]

Damage and signs

  • Hosts include cabbage (sabal) palm, coconut palm, dwarf palmetto, Mexican blue palm, Mexican fan palm and saw palmetto.[1][2]
  • When it reached Bermuda without its parasites in the 1920s, it severely damaged and killed many Bermuda palmettos until parasitized scales were introduced from Florida.[1][2]

Health risk

None to people or pets.[1][2]

Control

Biological control

Parasitoid wasps normally keep it at acceptable levels.[1][2]

Pesticides

Horticultural oil works; NC State advises no more than a 2 percent rate to avoid frond damage, watering the palm well first and keeping it out of direct sun until the spray dries.[1]

Common questions

What are the tiny pinkish specks on my palm fronds?
Possibly palmetto scale, an armored scale about 1 to 1.5 mm across.[1][2]
Is palmetto scale harmful to palms?
Not usually, as long as its parasites are present.[1][2]
Can I spray oil on palms?
Yes, at no more than a 2 percent rate, on a well-watered palm kept out of direct sun until dry.[1]

Sources

  1. NC State Extension, “Palmetto Scale.” content.ces.ncsu.edu/palmetto-scale (accessed 2026-10-15)
  2. University of Florida IFAS Extension (Featured Creatures), “Palmetto Scale, Comstockiella sabalis (EENY-465).” ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN835 (accessed 2026-10-15)
  3. iNaturalist, “Comstockiella sabalis taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/890484 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-15. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.