Heres how to identify and treat the most common houseplant bugs.
Getty Images/Jennifer Seeman
Yourfavorite houseplantsuddenly isnt looking too great.
Maybe its dropping leaves or you found some weird sticky substance all over it.
Credit:Getty Images/Jennifer Seeman
Or perhaps you discovered something that looks suspiciously like cotton but seems to be moving!
Your plant has pests, and youve got to act fast to save it.
You also should check nearby plants for signs of infestation.
Shimat Joseph, Ph.D., associate professor, department of entomology at theUniversity of Georgia.
Houseplant pests typically hitchhike a ride into your home.
Insects can be present when you purchase a plant, though you may not see them, says Joseph.
The conditions inside your house create the ideal environment for them to multiply, so their populations explode.
Or they come indoors on a plant that spent the summer on the patio.
Ditto for plants youre bringing indoors for winter.
Its time to toss it, says Joseph.
Youll often see dropped foliage or light-colored spots on leaves before you ever notice spider mites.
Persistence often succeeds with spider mites, says Joseph.
Whiteflies
Tiny white-winged insects about the size of a dash on the printed page.
They excrete a sticky substance, honeydew, on plant surfaces.
Take the plant outdoors and spray with an insecticidal soap, coating all surfaces.
Repeat every few days.
Use a neem oil to spray the babies, but a systemic product may be necessary for adults.
These are challenging to treat so you may need to discard the plant, says Joseph.
Mealy Bugs
Oval, fuzzy white insects about 1/8 to 1/4-inch long; theyre slow-moving.
Adults have a waxy cottony-looking coating, while immature bugs are smaller but similar.
Theyre often on the lower surfaces of leaves or where leaves attach to the stems.
Small infestations may be controlled by applying 70% isopropyl alcohol with a cotton swab directly to the bugs.
Or spray with an insecticidal soap.
However, for large infestations, you should dispose of the plant, says Joseph.
Fungus Gnats
Tiny gnats about 1/8-inch long that hang out on or near houseplants.
Theyre also attracted to light and moisture.
Theyre just super annoying.
Cut back on watering, if possible, because dry conditions help kill the larvae.
Or use yellow sticky traps to catch the adults.
Another choice is to apply a product containingBacillus thuringiensis var.
Israelensisto the soil of houseplants to kill the larvae.
