Palm / fungus identification

I am trying to see if I could get someone to look at a picture I have taken of a palm growing in my workplace. Seems like it has developed some white fungus, like small pieces of cotton, on its fronds. I haven't been able to get close to the trunk to see what is going on there. Was wondering if you might have a quick peek. I'd really like to identify the palm and the problem to see if there was any way to treat it ..

 

Mealy bugs (Pseudococcidae). Sap-sucking insects, not fungi!

 

Thanks! Just read up on them briefly. Doesn't look like there's an easy way to cure this. Anyone facing a similar infestation and managed to make progress? What did you use?

 

You could try spraying them with alcolol every few days for a while, and then after that, examining the plant every day and dabbing any bugs you see with alcohol. It will be hard to get them all on a plant like this where there are so many places for the bugs to hide. And you have to be vigilant for a long time.

I think I used to dilute the alcohol quite a bit to spray, but I can't remember by how much. When I was down to dabbing, I just used it straight.

 

Managed to take a slightly better picture today of what I am dealing with. I'll give the alcohol a go and see if any improvement. Should I see improvement within a week of spraying? Is there any particular sort of alcohol mix I should use? Many thanks for the posts.

 

I'm sorry - I can't remember how cheap I got with the alcohol. Your problem is that there are a lot of crevices where the bugs can hide out. You want to spray them to kill them, then wipe them off and try to wash off the dead ones. Then the ones you missed or newly hatched ones will be back. If you can catch new ones one by one as you see them, you might be able to stay on top of them and win in the end, but it will take maybe several months of constant (every day) vigilance.

A plant with so many hiding places will be difficult to do. I've won with two plants, but they were very small. I gave up on two and got rid of them, which may be why I was able to win over the other two and not get the problem back for several years now.

 

might lacewing larvae be another option?