Identifying Common Houseplant Pests
Most houseplant owners know the pain of having pests on their plants, some are easy to see but others are almost invisible to the naked eye. It’s easy for these little buggers to spread from one houseplant to the next, so if you’ve encountered them, quarantine those plants right away and keep an eye on them. When you bring a new plant home, it’s important to quarantine them for up to 2 weeks (no matter where you’ve purchased it from) to ensure that you aren’t spreading potential diseases and pests. Treating the new plant right away, even before the first sign of pest presence or damage, is important to help reduce the chance of an infestation. Follow the directions on the product’s label to ensure the best outcome!
Here are the most common houseplant pests, how to identify them, their damage, and what products to treat them with:
Identifying: Aphids
Aphids are small, soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects that feed on plant sap, appearing in various colors like green, yellow, black, and red. They can be winged or unwinged.
Identifying: Fungus Gnats
They are, dark, mosquito-like flies with long legs and antennae. The damaging larvae live in moist potting soil and feed on the roots. Adult gnats are weak fliers, often found near houseplants, while the legless larvae are often the cause of damage, though the adults are also a nuisance in large numbers. While the fungus gnats do not necessarily damage your plants leaves, they are usually a sign of overwatering (watering too frequently) and root rot.
Fungus Gnat Treatment
We recommend using:
Identifying: Mealybug
Mealybugs are soft-bodied insects, that are covered in a white, powdery, mealy wax that forms waxy filaments or spines. Heavy infestations can lead to stunting, wilting, yellowing foliage, and a general decline in plant vigor. Some mealybug species feed on plant roots, causing stunting and yellowing of the leaves.
Mealybug Treatment
We recommend using a product with the active ingredient:
- Rubbing alcohol (spot treatment)
- Neem Oil
- Imidacloprid
- Systemic houseplant insect control (treats pests in the soil)
Identifying: Scale
Houseplant scale are tiny, sap-sucking insects that are small, waxy, shell-like bumps or discolorations on leaves and stems, often clustered together. There are two types: hard (armored) scale, with a tough protective shell, and soft scale, which has a waxy coating. Crawlers, or immature nymphs, are the mobile stage that spreads the infestation.
Scale Treatment
We recommend using a product and manual removal with the active ingredient:
- Neem Oil
- Rubbing alcohol
- Imidacloprid
Identifying: Spider Mites
Spider mites are tiny, arachnids, related to ticks and spiders, with oval bodies and range from red to yellow or green. They thrive in hot, dry conditions and feed on plant sap, causing yellow or bronzed spots on leaves. High populations often produce webbing that resembles a spider’s web. They can spread to new plants and areas on clothing, pets, or by dispersing in the air during hot, dry conditions. An infestation will produce tiny yellow or white speckles (stippling) on leaves, which can coalesce into a yellow or bronzed cast, fine, delicate webbing on plants, especially if populations are high, and leaves may curl, become dusty, or drop prematurely.
Spider Mite Treatment
We recommend using a product with the active ingredient:
Identifying: Thrips
Thrips are extremely small insects characterized by two pairs of narrow, hair-fringed wings. They range in size from less than a millimeter to several millimeters long, with varying colors from yellow to brown or black. These are pests that damage plants by feeding on leaves, flowers, and fruits, causing disfigurement, reduced seed production, and even transmitting viruses.
If your houseplant has a severe infestation or the pests return after multiple treatments, consider repotting it with fresh soil, spraying the root system with the recommended products, and adding a systemic insect control product to the soil to kill any remaining insect eggs. Check out Houseplants 101 for more information on how to repot your houseplant. Check out our full catalog of plant RX for any of your other plant care needs.
If you stay consistent with the treatments, you should see an improvement over the course of several weeks! Feel free to give us at call at 513-891-1040 or email us at info@benkens.com if you have any questions or want help identifying and treating pests on your houseplant.
