It seems that when everything is going great, and your houseplants are thriving, you notice a discolored leaf, web, or sticky goo, and everything changes. Pests are an unfortunate reality of plant ownership. Prevention is the best safeguard, but bugs can still find a way into your home despite your best efforts. Identification is the first step to pest control because you must know what you’re up against to create a treatment plan. Learn more about how to identify common houseplant pests and pest treatment options.
Mealybugs
Mealybugs are a soft-body, wingless insect. They are pinkish in color, but their waxy fluff covering makes them appear white. Adults can measure as small as 1/20″, so they are hard to spot, especially when they tuck themselves into a tiny crevice. A mass of mealybug eggs covered in a cotton-like substance are often easier to spot.
Female mealybugs are sap suckers. They feed on the sap in plants, slowly draining nutrients and causing the plant to starve to death.
If you notice a couple of mealybugs, isolate the plant from nearby houseplants and give it a good rinse. Washing the plant is often enough to treat a minor infestation. You can also use a cotton ball or cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol to spot-treat mealybugs. If the mealybug infestation is contained in one area of the plant, consider pruning that part. Do not save these offcuts to propagate; get rid of them immediately.
You can treat mealybugs with insecticidal soap or horticultural oils. Spray the plant and try to get into any small nooks or crevices. Spray the plant weekly for at least a month to ensure no bugs are left. Horticultural oil and insecticidal soap can have a not-so-great smell, so you should bring the plants outside to spray to avoid also spraying curtains or furniture since you don’t want the scent lingering.
Aphids Pest Control
Aphids are shaped like a watermelon seed and measure ⅛ to 1/16″ long. These bugs are also soft-bodied sap suckers. You’re most likely to encounter green aphids when dealing with houseplants, but these bugs can also be white, black, gray, or pink. Aphids are fast-moving, and their damage comes on quickly. Aphid damage looks like stunted, curling, or distorted leaves. These pests prefer new growth and often hide underneath the leaves.
Treat aphids the same way you handle a mealybug infestation. Start with a good cleaning and escalate to horticultural oil or insecticidal soap as needed. Treat weekly for several weeks to ensure all bugs and eggs are gone. Don’t bother treating aphids with a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol because they move too fast, and some fly, so it can be hard to get them.
Scale
Scale is challenging to eliminate, but it is possible to treat. These houseplant pests are challenging because some varieties have an armored exterior. The bugs naturally create a hard coating to cover themselves to feed and lay eggs. The unique thing about scale bugs is once they pick a spot, they stay put because their armored covering adheres to the stem or leaf they made their home.
Soft-bodied scales are mobile but slow-moving, making them much easier to treat. However, soft-bodied scales still have an ick factor because the tell-tale sign of these houseplant pests is honeydew, which is a nice way of saying bug excrement.
How to Treat Scale on Houseplants
It’s possible to treat a minor scale infestation by scraping the bugs from the plants. This technique can be tricky because you may not get everything. Removing infested sections and following up with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil is often the most effective method. Pest control treatment takes weeks, so plan to continue treating the plant to prevent a reoccurrence.
White Fly Pest Control
White Flies are tiny white flying insects that look like moths. Both nymphs (young bugs) and adults damage houseplants by sucking sap, and they prefer new growth. Signs of a white fly infestation include stunted growth, yellow leaves, and the presence of honeydew. A heavily infested plant will have a colony of white flies that will take flight if you move the houseplant (hopefully, it won’t come to this).
Like most houseplant pests, white flies are treated by washing the plant to remove the bugs and cleaning them with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.
Fungus Gnats
Fungus gnats are similar to fruit flies in size and appearance but are different bugs. Both are annoying pests. Fungus gnats feed on fungus, so when you continually overwater plants and unintentionally create fungus in the soil, these gnats show up to eat. Fungus gnats don’t harm the plant, but they are a symptom of overwatering, which will harm your houseplant.
Establishing a good watering routine will prevent fungus gnats. To treat fungus gnats, allow the soil to dry out before watering. Some plant owners use those yellow sticky tapes to trap and kill fungus gnats. Tape is effective, but be careful not to get it stuck to the plant or anything else. Another pest control for fungus gnats is to sprinkle cinnamon on the soil. Cinnamon has antifungal properties and kills the fungus the gnats feed on, which can speed up getting rid of these houseplant pests.
If the infestation is severe, repot the plant in dry soil and resume watering only as needed. If the situation is serious, a hydrogen peroxide rinse is another option.
Spider Mites and Pest Control Options
A very fine web is often the first indicator of spider mites. The second sign of spider mites is tiny dots that appear on the foliage before the leaves turn yellow and drop. Spider mites can measure 1/50″ long when fully mature, so it’s hard to see them, but you can see their damage. These houseplant pests are sap suckers, and they thrive in dry conditions.
A spider mite infestation can quickly spiral out of control because these pests multiply quickly, so early detection is vital. Control a spider mite infestation by cleaning the plant to remove dust. If you have trouble with spider mites, you may need to establish a washing routine. Certain houseplants, like ivy and croton, are more susceptible to spider mites, so be on the lookout.