Question
I read a post on your website and it described exactly what was wrong with my Areca palm plant.  The solution you gave was to spray it for a few weeks with rubbing alcohol.  My question is should I mix the rubbing alcohol with water also to dilote it, or should it be just rubbing alcohol?

Answer
Hello Lisa,

When I encounter scale on my plants if it is not too bad then I remove them manually with ordinary water. After their removal I spray with a systemic insecticide.  The actual insects with their waxy coat are impervious to insecticide.  Or you could remove them with a cotton wool bud dipped in meths but this is an extremely tedious method.  Also you have to be careful not to use too much meths as this can damage the leaves.  I would not dilute the mixture as the insects are the devil's own job to get rid of in any case.

If your plant is very badly infected I would cut your losses and dispose of it.

I hope the above helps you.

Diana