Houseplant Pest ID: what is bugging your plant

Free houseplant pest identifier. Pick what you see, like fine speckling, webbing, white cottony clumps, sticky leaves, or brown bumps on stems, and get the likely pest, how to confirm it, and extension recommended treatments. Covers spider mites, mealybugs, scale, aphids, whiteflies, and fungus gnats.

Symptoms to pests

  • Fine speckling, bronzing, or webbing: spider mites. Tap a leaf over white paper to check (UMN, Mississippi State).
  • White cottony clumps in leaf joints: mealybugs. Dab with rubbing alcohol on a swab after testing a small spot (Wisconsin, Colorado State).
  • Sticky leaves and brown bumps along veins: scale. Horticultural oil is the most effective spray (Mississippi State, Colorado State).
  • Soft insects on new growth: aphids. Wash them off with water (Mississippi State).
  • White flies rising from the plant: whiteflies (Mississippi State, Colorado State).
  • Small dark flies around the soil: fungus gnats. Let the soil dry between waterings (UMN, Mississippi State).

Guides

Sources