Spider mites
Faint webbing in the frond crooks and a dusty, stippled look are spider mites — the Areca's number-one indoor pest.
Diagnosis
Spider mites
What's happening
Spider mites are tiny sap-sucking arachnids that thrive in the warm, dry indoor air an Areca often sits in. They cluster on the undersides of the fine leaflets and pierce the cells to feed, leaving a fine pale speckling, or stippling, that gives the fronds a dull, dusty cast. In bad infestations you'll see delicate webbing strung between the leaflets and along the stems.
How to fix it
Isolate the plant so the mites don't spread. Rinse the fronds thoroughly in the shower, paying attention to the undersides, then spray every surface with insecticidal soap, top and bottom, and repeat every 5–7 days for three to four weeks to catch newly hatched mites. Raising the humidity afterward makes the plant a far less welcoming host, since mites flourish in dry air.
What fixes it
- Insecticidal soap — Insecticidal soap coats and kills spider mites on contact — spray every surface, especially the leaflet undersides.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full Areca Palm care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this