Living in South Florida has its perks: year-round sunshine, warm temperatures, and breathtaking beaches make it a paradise for many. Unfortunately, the same conditions that make South Florida so attractive to humans also entice a wide range of insects to call this place home.
This time of year marks a critical period for tree pest activity in our region. As post-summer stress weakens trees and humidity patterns shift, your property becomes a target for destructive insects looking to establish new colonies before the cooler months ahead. Fortunately, armed with identification tips and a bit of background knowledge, you can spot them early enough to begin effective treatment and keep your trees healthy and happy.
Key Takeaways
- Late summer is peak pest reproduction season in South Florida, making early detection crucial for successful treatment.
- There are eight common tree pests that affect South Florida trees including the newly discovered hybrid subterranean termite, the palm leaf skeletonizer, the palmetto weevil, the royal palm bug, soft scale insects, palm aphids, rugose spiraling whitefly, and citrus mealybugs.
- Early identification can save thousands in removal costs compared to letting infestations progress unchecked.Specific visual symptoms help homeowners distinguish between different pests and normal seasonal changes.
- Professional intervention becomes necessary when pests threaten tree structure or spread to multiple trees.
How Tree Pests Damage Your South Florida Trees
Before diving straight into specific pests, it’s important to first understand how insects can harm trees since they don’t all feed the same way. Recognizing these damage patterns helps you identify which type of pest you’re dealing with:
- Sap-Sucking: Insects pierce plant tissue and feed on the tree’s sap, depriving it of essential nutrients and water. Look for yellowing leaves, sticky honeydew secretions, and gradual weakening.
- Defoliation: Insects consume the tree’s foliage, hindering its ability to produce food through photosynthesis. You’ll notice missing leaf tissue, holes, or complete leaf loss.
- Wood-Boring: Insects tunnel into the tree’s trunk and branches, disrupting the flow of water and nutrients. Watch for small holes, sawdust-like frass, and structural weakening.
- Disease Transmission: Some insects carry certain diseases and introduce them to healthy trees as they feed, causing additional complications beyond the direct feeding damage.
- Weakening the Tree: While not directly killing trees, many pests stress trees, making them more susceptible to other threats like drought, hurricanes, or extreme temperatures.
Why Late Summer is Critical for Pest Detection in South Florida
As temperatures begin to cool, a perfect storm starts brewing for pest activity in our region. Trees in Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, and throughout Broward County have endured months of intense heat, hurricane threats, and summer storms. This combination leaves them stressed and unable to mount strong natural defenses.
These weakened conditions align with peak reproductive cycles for many insect species. And as fall approaches, pests like aphids, scale insects, and whiteflies quickly take advantage, establishing new colonies and spreading damage across already vulnerable trees.
Most concerning, groundbreaking research earlier this year confirms that a new invasive, hybrid species is establishing colonies during this transition period, making late summer the optimal time for detection and early intervention.
8 Common South Florida Tree Pests You Need to Know
Our year-round warmth here in South Florida is great for supporting a lush tropical landscape, but it also creates the ideal conditions for numerous insect populations that put your trees at risk. Here are the top pests South Florida homeowners should keep an eye out for as we transition into fall.
1. Hybrid Subterranean Termites
Left: Asian subterranean termite (laboratory specimen) – one of the two parent species responsible for creating the hybrid termite colonies now established in South Florida. Photo courtesy of: Pest and Diseases Image Library, Bugwood.org.; Right: Formosan subterranean termite (field specimen) – the second parent species that has crossbred with Asian subterranean termites to create aggressive hybrid colonies threatening South Florida trees and structures. Photo courtesy of: Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org.
University of Florida researchers have confirmed a 2025 first: hybrid termite colonies created by two of the world’s most destructive species. This breakthrough poses a serious new risk to South Florida’s structures and trees.
These hybrid termites pose a dual threat to both structures and trees, particularly targeting gumbo limbo, royal palms, and other native species. Researchers conducting systematic surveys in Fort Lauderdale parks discovered an alarming reality: 162 out of 1,304 monitored trees showed active termite infestations.
| What Homeowners See First | Small mud tubes running up tree trunks, sawdust-like frass (termite excrement) around the base, and gradual crown thinning or wilting. |
| Progressive Symptoms | Initial signs include pencil-thin mud tubes, progressing to larger tunnel systems and structural weakening. Advanced infestations show crown collapse and extensive trunk damage. |
| Most Vulnerable Tree Species | Gumbo limbo, royal palms, live oaks, and stressed trees in urban environments throughout Broward and Palm Beach counties. |
| When to Call Professionals | Immediately upon discovering mud tubes or frass. Unlike other pests, termite colonies require specialized treatment protocols and ongoing monitoring. |
Hybrid Termite Treatment Methods
Hybrid termite colonies require immediate professional intervention due to their unique biology and aggressive nature. Unlike other tree pests, termites attack both the structural integrity of trees and nearby buildings, making rapid response critical. Professional treatment typically involves specialized bait systems applied directly to active colonies, as demonstrated in recent Fort Lauderdale research where targeted baiting eliminated detectable colonies while using minimal pesticide.
Due to the hybrid nature of these termites, traditional treatment approaches may be less effective than with single-species colonies. Professional arborists use advanced detection methods to locate colonies and implement comprehensive treatment protocols that address both the immediate infestation and prevent recolonization. Property-wide monitoring is essential, as hybrid termites can quickly establish satellite colonies.
2. Palm Leaf Skeletonizer
Palm leaf skeletonizer damage creates distinctive skeleton-like patterns and brown silk tubes filled with frass (waste) that help identify this pest. Photo courtesy of: Tim Broschat, Symptoms of Palm Diseases and Disorders, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org.
Palm leaf skeletonizers are social caterpillars that live in groups on the underside of palm leaves. These tiny troublemakers, typically no bigger than a half-inch long, are pale in color and often go unnoticed until damage becomes severe.
Categorized as a defoliation insect, palm leaf skeletonizers cause damage by feeding on the soft tissue between leaf veins, leaving behind a skeleton-like structure. As they eat, they create silk tubes filled with brown waste (frass) that looks like sawdust and grows larger as the caterpillars get bigger.
| What Homeowners See First | Brown, papery areas on palm fronds that look like someone scraped away the green tissue, leaving only the leaf skeleton behind. |
| Progressive Symptoms | Initial feeding creates small brown patches, expanding to large skeleton-like areas. Severe infestations can defoliate entire fronds. |
| Peak Activity | September through November, when new generations emerge and begin feeding aggressively. |
| When to Call Professionals | When damage covers more than 25% of fronds, multiple palms are affected, or webbing makes DIY removal difficult. |
Palm Leaf Skeletonizer Treatment Methods
Early detection is crucial for managing palm leaf skeletonizers. While removing infested leaves and disposing of them properly in sealed plastic bags can help, physical control methods are limited.
High-pressure hosing can dislodge young caterpillars but may damage weaker palms. Insecticides are often ineffective because of the caterpillars’ protective webbing, so a systemic application is recommended instead of spraying.
3. Palmetto Weevil
Palmetto weevil – North America’s largest weevil species, easily identified by its distinctive red and black coloration and prominent curved snout. Photo courtesy of: Jim Occi, BugPics, Bugwood.org.
As the largest weevil in North America, the palmetto weevil is a destructive pest that targets palm trees. With a stout body and long, curved snout, adults vary in color from solid black to almost completely red with a varying black pattern.
Symptoms of a palmetto weevil infestation often include a decline in younger leaves and drooping of older ones, which can quickly worsen. In severe cases, the palm’s crown can collapse, a condition known as “popped neck.”
| What Homeowners See First | Newer fronds appearing shorter or failing to open properly, while older fronds begin drooping or turning brown. |
| Early Detection Signs | Before crown collapse, watch for fronds that fail to fully expand, off-center growth patterns, and unusual sounds (clicking or rustling) from within the crown. |
| Prevention Strategies | Avoid wounding palms during pruning, maintain proper nutrition, and inspect newly purchased palms thoroughly before planting. |
| Advanced Signs of Damage | Complete crown collapse (“popped neck”), hollow-sounding trunk when tapped, visible larvae tunnels in cut fronds, and foul odor from decaying palm heart. |
| When to Call Professionals | At the first sign of crown irregularities or frond failure. Early assessment may save trees that would otherwise be lost. |
Palmetto Weevil Treatment Methods
When the advanced signs of damage from a palmetto weevil infestation appear, the tree is typically beyond saving. However, early detection and immediate professional assessment may save trees in the initial stages.
Removing and destroying infested palms is usually the most effective course of action to prevent the spread of these pests. While insecticides can protect newly planted palms, consistent application requires professional management for cost-effective results.
4. Royal Palm Bug
Royal palm bugs are extremely small but create distinctive yellow spotting damage on newly opened palm fronds. Photo courtesy of: Lyle Buss, University of Florida, Bugwood.org.
The royal palm bug might be tiny, but it packs a punch for such a small pest. Measuring only about a tenth of an inch long, these pale yellow-green insects are easily overlooked. However, their bright red eyes can be a giveaway if you look closely.
Royal palm bugs target the most vulnerable part of the palm – the freshly opened leaves. As they feed on the sap, they leave behind scattered yellow spots on the underside of the leaves. These spots eventually become unsightly brown streaks, causing the leaves to wilt and lose vitality.
| What Homeowners See First | Small yellow or brown spots scattered across the underside of newly opened palm fronds, often mistaken for fungal spots or nutrient deficiency. |
| Distinguishing from Other Problems | Unlike nutrient deficiency, which affects older fronds first, royal palm bug damage appears on the newest growth and creates irregular spot patterns rather than uniform yellowing. |
| Seasonal Patterns | Late summer is peak reproduction season, when populations explode and damage becomes most visible. |
| When to Call Professionals | When spots appear on multiple fronds or when damage progresses rapidly despite the tree appearing otherwise healthy. |
Royal Palm Bug Treatment Methods
Unfortunately, there are few natural predators for royal palm bugs, making chemical control the primary treatment method. However, treating tall palms with insecticides can be difficult and pose environmental risks due to spray drift.
A more effective and environmentally friendly approach is to apply a soil drench with a systemic insecticide. This method delivers the insecticide directly to the palm’s roots, where it’s absorbed and transported throughout the plant, killing royal palm bugs as they feed.
5. Soft Scales
Florida wax scale – one of the most common soft scale species in South Florida, identifiable by dome-shaped coverings and sticky honeydew production. Photo courtesy of: Chazz Hesselein, Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Bugwood.org.
“Soft scale” refers to a group of insects with a protective shell that clings tightly to their bodies. Some blend into their surroundings, while others form a waxy or cotton-like coating. While there are numerous scale species that affect South Florida trees, the Florida wax scale is the most widespread.
Although they come in a range of colors and sizes, they all create the same kinds of problems. Soft scales feed directly from the vascular system of the host plants and trees. Many soft scale species also excrete a sticky substance called honeydew that attracts ants and promotes the growth of sooty mold, further damaging the tree.
| What Homeowners See First | Small dome-shaped bumps on stems and leaves, with sticky honeydew coating nearby surfaces, often accompanied by black sooty mold and ant activity. |
| Seasonal Patterns | Late summer marks peak population growth when new generations mature and honeydew production increases dramatically. |
| When to Call Professionals | When sooty mold covers more than 30% of leaf surfaces, honeydew attracts excessive ant activity, or when multiple trees show infestation signs. |
Soft Scale Treatment Methods
Early detection is key to managing soft scale. Infestations often begin on young shoots, where small dome-shaped bumps first appear.
Horticultural oils, insecticidal soaps, and foliar sprays can all suppress young scales but usually require repeat applications. As the insects mature, these treatments lose effectiveness, making systemic insecticides the most reliable option.
The best way to reduce soft scale populations on your property requires a combined approach: catch infestations early and follow up with systemic applications.
6. Palm Aphid
Palm aphid microscopic specimen – this scientific view shows the internal structure of these pests that create white waxy clusters on palm fronds. Photo courtesy of: Pest and Diseases Image Library , Bugwood.org.
Palm aphids are particularly unique when compared against other aphids because they most closely resemble whiteflies or scale insects. These tiny pests have a flat, oval body surrounded by a white, waxy fringe as opposed to the more common green or black soft-bodied appearance of a typical aphid.
While they might appear harmless, palm aphids can cause significant damage to young palms. By piercing palm foliage and feeding on the sap, they cause leaves to yellow and weaken the tree’s overall health. And the waste they produce, the sugary honeydew, creates a host of problems too by coating the leaves and blocking sunlight, further stunting growth.
| What Homeowners See First | White, cottony clusters on palm fronds, particularly around the midrib and base of leaflets, often accompanied by yellowing. |
| Distinguishing Features | Unlike mealybugs, palm aphids have a distinct waxy fringe and tend to cluster in specific areas rather than spreading uniformly across the plant. |
| Seasonal Patterns | Young palms are most vulnerable during the post-summer stress period, making early detection crucial for treatment success. |
| When to Call Professionals | When infestations spread to multiple palms, when honeydew production interferes with normal activities, or when young palms show significant stress. |
Palm Aphid Treatment Methods
Preventing palm aphid infestations starts with careful inspection of new palm purchases. Early detection and removal of infested plants can help protect your landscape. If you do notice a significant aphid problem, ladybugs or syrphid fly larvae can be introduced to prey on aphids.
For severe infestations, systemic insecticides are the most effective option. However, they can harm beneficial insects. It’s best to consult a Certified Arborist for professional application.
7. Rugose Spiraling Whitefly
Rugose spiraling whitefly – note the characteristic spiral egg-laying pattern that gives this invasive species its name. Photo courtesy of: David Cappaert, Bugwood.org.
The rugose spiraling whitefly is a species of whitefly that has only recently become an invasive pest in Florida within the last decade or so. The most notable characteristic is how females lay their eggs in a spiral pattern, giving the species its name.
Larger than most whiteflies, this insect is typically found sucking out nutrients on the underside of leaves. The biggest problem with the rugose spiraling whitefly is that it infests a wide range of trees, including palms, gumbo limbo trees, mango trees, and various shrubs.
| What Homeowners See First | Distinctive spiral egg patterns on the underside of leaves, white flying insects when disturbing foliage, and increasing amounts of sticky honeydew. |
| Most Vulnerable Tree Species | Originally targeting palms, these whiteflies have expanded to attack gumbo limbo, mango, and many ornamental trees throughout Pompano Beach, Boca Raton, and surrounding communities. |
| Seasonal Patterns | Late summer is the peak reproductive period when spiral egg laying increases dramatically and populations can explode quickly. |
| When to Call Professionals | When infestations affect valuable trees like mature gumbo limbos or mangos, when populations spread rapidly between trees, or when DIY treatments fail to control the problem. |
Rugose Spiraling Whitefly Treatment Methods
At the initial stage of infestation, pressure washing with water can help reduce whitefly populations. But it must be repeated regularly to maintain control, as new larvae will quickly hatch.
When it comes to chemical control, contact sprays can quickly kill whiteflies but offer shorter-term protection. That’s why tree care experts often recommend systemic treatments applied to the soil or trunk.
8. Citrus Mealybugs
Citrus mealybugs create distinctive white, cotton-like masses on fruit and stems, making early detection possible for observant homeowners. Photo courtesy of: Mourad Louadfel, Retired, Bugwood.org
Citrus mealybugs, as the name implies, target citrus trees. They are tiny, soft-bodied insects with a white, powdery coating and often hide among fruit clusters. Like other sap-sucking insects, their feeding causes leaves to turn yellow and curl, while fruit can become discolored, misshapen, and drop prematurely.
Like many other tree pests, these insects also produce the sticky honeydew that fosters black sooty mold, staining leaves and fruit. Affected fruit becomes unmarketable, and if mealybugs aren’t completely removed before packing, they can continue breeding during transit and storage, causing further losses.
| What Homeowners See First | White, cotton-like masses in leaf joints, along stems, and around developing fruit, particularly concentrated in protected areas. |
| Early Detection Signs | Light infestations appear as small white spots that can be mistaken for salt deposits or fungal growth, but close inspection reveals the insects’ mobility. |
| Seasonal Patterns | Check citrus trees weekly during this peak activity period, focusing on new growth areas and developing fruit clusters where mealybugs prefer to establish. |
| When to Call Professionals | When mealybugs spread to fruit or when infestations persist despite repeated DIY treatments. Professional systemic treatments are often necessary for complete control. |
Citrus Mealybug Treatment Methods
Citrus mealybugs are tough to eliminate, which is why early detection with regular inspections is so important! You can remove small infestations using a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol or by washing the plants with mild, soapy water to remove the wax left behind.
For larger infestations, pesticides can be sprayed weekly to control all newly hatched mealybugs. Professional tree pruning that reduces contact between multiple trees can help limit the spread.
Quick Reference Guide for South Florida Tree Pests
| Pest Name | Key Visual Sign | Peak Season | Urgency Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid Termites | Mud tubes, frass piles | Year-round | Critical |
| Palm Leaf Skeletonizer | Skeleton-like leaf patterns | Sept-Nov | Moderate |
| Palmetto Weevil | Crown droop, short fronds | Spring-Fall | Critical |
| Royal Palm Bug | Yellow spots on new fronds | Sept-Oct | Moderate |
| Soft Scales | Sticky honeydew, sooty mold | Sept-Dec | Low-Moderate |
| Palm Aphids | White waxy clusters | Sept-Nov | Moderate |
| Rugose Spiraling Whitefly | Spiral egg patterns | Sept-Oct | High |
| Citrus Mealybugs | White cotton-like masses | Year-round | Moderate |
Frequently Asked Questions About Tree Pests in South Florida
How do I know if it’s pest damage or hurricane stress?
Hurricane stress typically affects entire trees uniformly, while pest damage often starts in specific areas and spreads gradually. Look for the characteristic signs mentioned above: things like spiral egg patterns, honeydew, or mud tubes all indicate pest activity rather than storm damage.
Which pests are most dangerous to children and pets?
Most tree pests pose minimal direct risk to children and pets. However, the treatments required for severe infestations may require temporary area restrictions. Professional applicators will provide specific safety guidelines for each treatment.
Should I be concerned about the new hybrid termites?
Yes, hybrid termites represent a significant new threat to both trees and structures in South Florida. Their biology is still being studied, but early evidence suggests they may be more aggressive than either parent species. Professional monitoring and treatment are essential.
Protect Your South Florida Trees from Common Pests with Sherlock Tree
Recognizing the signs of tree pest infestations is the first step in protecting your property. However, dealing with persistent pests, especially the newly emerging hybrid termites, requires professional expertise and specialized treatment protocols.
Don’t let pests destroy your valuable trees and compromise your property value. Detection and treatment during late summer can save thousands in removal costs while preserving the trees that make South Florida properties so beautiful.
Call Sherlock Tree today at 954-788-4000 or request an estimate online for a thorough pest inspection and customized treatment plan suited to your specific needs.
Call Sherlock for quality tree services
Whether you're looking for specific tree care services, such as palm trimming, tree removal, or disease treatments, or would like one of our Arborists to examine your trees to identify any issues and recommend options, we're always here for you! Just give us a call at 954-788-4000 to set up an appointment.
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