Question
I had a palm not sure of the name but it was a very hard spiney palm that was outdoor last summer bought it in in the faal but didnt spray for bugs,yea stupid i noticed it looking brown and dried in march and new it had scale so i put it back oiut side thinking the cooler weather would get rid of it doesnt look like it has it now buit I put another palm in its place almost 6 weeks later and about 3 weeks later ,today i noticed the new 8 foot florida looking palm looked pale I thought it was from the ecofriendly spray i put on it weeks before because another palm ,same kind had spider mite and was close to this one ,but at a closer look i saw the scale again i was so mad these are my favs but its getting top be a pain between the mites and the scale im starting to get fed up I also have 2 goldens and a cat that are all around the plants so safety is first.can they infect people. I put the 2 plants outside in the rain for now until i decide what tio do I love them but the garbage is sounding good right about now.please help before they end up mulch!!!!thanks linda ill be awaiting your help.

Answer
Linda,

Both scale insects and spider mites can be treated with insecticidal soap (see http://www.livingwithbugs.com/insecticidal_soap.html for more info) which is very effective for mites and moderately effective against scale insects and very safe to use. Treating scale insects can be a long-term project so heavily infested plants are often replaced.

Post a follow up if you have questions.

Jack DeAngelis
http://www.livingwithbugs.com