Question
Hello,

Pls be so kind as to explain what the following Ailment could be ::

My Yucca is potted and indoors, It has a strange looking saw dust type string that seems to be coming from inside the cane.

My only assessment would be a worm or a beetle of sorts.

Any ideas ? Is this common and easily fixed
Many Thanks
Sean

Answer
Sean,

You have a yucca cane borer that is a butterfly or a moth that has laid an egg on your yucca and the larva has bored in to the trunk of your yucca and is growing. When it matures it will come out and finish maturing into the butterfly or moth although I know very little about the life cycle of the butterfly or moth except that it will cause severe damage to your yucca. Your only hope to save your yucca is to inject something into the holes in the trunk that will kill the larva. I would call my county extension office (look up the number in the phone book)to find out what they recommend to do. Then if they tell me it is hopeless I would resort to my own home treatments and try injecting a mix of 70 isopropyl alcohol and water into the holes using the injectors that my husband uses when he injects marinade into turkeys he is preparing to deep fry. If I can get it to the larva it should kill it before it causes further damage. If you have more questions feel free to write again. Good luck.

Darlene