Scale or mealybugs

What's happening

Scale insects look like small brown or tan waxy bumps glued to the stems and frond midribs, while mealybugs appear as soft white cottony clusters in the crevices. Both pierce the plant to drink its sap and excrete a sticky residue called honeydew, which coats the fronds and can turn black with sooty mold. They weaken the palm and cause yellowing and frond drop over time.

How to fix it

Dab each visible insect with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to kill it on contact, then wipe the fronds and stems down. Follow up by spraying the whole plant — stems, frond bases, and undersides — with insecticidal soap, repeating weekly for several rounds until no new bumps appear. Check nearby plants too, since both pests crawl between them.

This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.