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While having the correct light levels and watering properly are two of the most important steps in growing healthy indoor plants, houseplant growers also have to constantly monitor their plants for signs of pests. There are many types of houseplant bugs, and arming yourself with a little information goes a long way toward preventing or eliminating an infestation. In this article, I’ll introduce you to some of the most common houseplant pests and hand you tips to prevent and control them.
Preventing all types of houseplant bugs
Certain houseplants are definitely more prone to pest issues than others, but houseplant bug problems are often prevented by following a few simple steps.
- Carefully inspect all new plants before bringing them into your home. Many types of houseplant bugs piggyback their way into your house from the nursery where the plants were grown. Before buying new plants (or taking in “strays” from friends and family), be sure to examine the plant from top to bottom, looking on leaf undersides, along the stems, and even in the soil for signs of the common houseplant insect pests I’m going to introduce you to below.
Carefully inspect new houseplants for pests before you bring them home from the garden center. - Even if you think a new plant is pest-free, it may have pest eggs or young pests that you can’t yet see. Before putting any new houseplants with ones you already have, put it in solitary confinement in a separate room for a few weeks. Watch it carefully for signs of houseplant insect pests and only put it in close contact with other plants after it’s been confirmed to be pest-free. You can also place a few yellow sticky cards just above the top of the plant. Many pest insects are attracted to the color yellow, and they’ll quickly get trapped on the card. Check the card every few days for any insects. If you have some on the card, you probably have many more on the plant itself.
- Before moving them back indoors, do a “detox” on any houseplants that have spent the summer outside. While most houseplants love to be outside during the warmer months, they often come back inside with several different types of houseplant bugs hitch-hiking on them. The day before moving houseplants back indoors, spray the entire plant – including the lower leaf surfaces and stems – with a sharp stream of water from the hose, using a spray nozzle that emits a forceful spray. This is often all that’s needed to dislodge any pests before moving the plant inside.
Check all leaf surfaces carefully for signs of pests. You’ll need to use a sharp stream of water from the hose to dislodge them, not a hand sprayer. - Keen observational skills definitely allow you to control many types of houseplant bugs before their populations explode. Examine plants weekly throughout the year, checking for both the insects themselves and signs of their damage.
- Another sign that indicates you may have one of several different types of houseplant bugs is the presence of a sticky substance on the plant itself, or on the surface of the table or floor beneath the plant. This shiny, sticky substance is called honeydew, and it’s the excrement of several different pests, including almost all of the houseplant pests mentioned below. The presence of honeydew is a clear sign of pest issues.
Types of houseplant bugs
The warm, consistent temperature of most homes is ideal for rapid pest breeding. Plus, without ladybugs, parasitic wasps, and other beneficial insects in your home to keep pests in check, houseplant insect pests can go from numbering just a few to an all-out infestation in no time flat. Here are five of the most common types of houseplant bugs and what to do about them.
Fungus gnats
Adult fungus gnats are super annoying. These minuscule black flies are the classic example of a nuisance pest. When an infested plant is disturbed, a cloud of tiny flies lifts off the soil. Mature gnats life for about a week, and although they’re a pain, they don’t damage your plants. Neither do the larvae, who largely feed on the fungi that naturally grows in potting soil. Because the eggs and larvae need water to survive, fungus gnat infestations are frequently the result of overwatering. A simple reduction in watering is often all that’s needed to control this common houseplant pest. But, if that doesn’t do the trick, beneficial nematodes added to the soil will definitely take care of the problem.
Scale
Another of the more common types of houseplant bugs, scale is sometimes difficult to spot. There are many different species, each with a unique appearance, but the most common houseplant pest scales look like little bumps and are found along the stems and on leaf undersides. The species that attacks ficus trees, looks more like little flecks (see the Pinterest image at the top of this article). Scale insects often have a hard, shell-like covering that makes them difficult to spot and control. They can be gray, black, brown, or even fuzzy.
Most scales leave behind the honeydew I mentioned above, so if you see a shiny glaze on the plant, check it for scale. When it comes to houseplant bug problems, scale is probably the most difficult to control. I like to wipe them off my plants with a special cotton pad soaked in isopropyl rubbing alcohol. Physically wiping the pest off the plant multiple times over the course of a few weeks offers the best control. But, another option is to use an organic, neem-based pesticide. Take the plant into a garage or outdoors to apply it, and be sure to follow label instructions.
Whiteflies
This common houseplant pest does not survive freezing winter temperatures, so it’s typically troublesome outdoors only in southern regions. But, whiteflies are one of the most problematic types of houseplant bugs because when they’re indoors, the insects are protected from freezing temperatures and their populations can grow quite rapidly. Whitefly issues frequently originate via a plant purchased at an infested greenhouse, which makes a careful inspection of any new plants extra important.
These tiny, white, moth-like flies are found on leaf undersides and will quickly fly off the plant when it’s disturbed. Since whitefly reproduce so rapidly, their sap-sucking behavior can leave plants wilted, and with stunted growth and yellow foliage. Whiteflies are readily trapped by placing yellow sticky cards just above plant tops. Applications of insecticidal soap and horticultural oil are also effective. Since all three of these products work best when they contact the insect pest directly, try not to disturb the plant when applying, and be sure to cover both upper and lower leaf surfaces.
Aphids
Though they’re small in size, aphids can cause big problems. Of all the types of houseplant bugs discussed here, aphids are the ones I encounter the most frequently on my own houseplants. Tiny and teardrop-shaped, aphids can be black, green, red, yellow, or brown. Sometimes they have wings and sometimes they don’t, but they’re most often found grouped together on new growth or on the undersides of leaves.
As they suck plant sap through their needle-like mouthparts, aphids cause deformed and stunted plant growth. Small infestations are easily wiped off of plants with a soft, plant-friendly cloth soaked in water, but as with all types of houseplant bugs, when there’s a big infestation, other measures may be warranted. Aphids can also be controlled organically with horticultural oil, or insecticidal soap. Be sure to apply these products so they come in direct contact with the aphids themselves for the best results.
Spider mites
There are many types of houseplant bugs, but spider mites may just be the ones with the biggest “heebie jeebie” factor. Actually, these guys aren’t bugs at all. Instead, they’re close relatives of spiders. These teeny-tiny houseplant pests cause major issues, not just for plants but also for the homeowner facing the infestation.
Though you can barely see them without the help of a magnifying glass, once you know they’re in your house, it’s hard to get them off your mind. Spider mites spin a fine, silky webbing, and collectively, they can cover the entire plant with it. If you look carefully, you’ll see tiny specks crawling around on the webbing; those are the mites themselves. The featured image of this post shows a spider mite infestation on an indoor palm tree.
But, before you toss your spider mite-infested ivy or palm plant into the garbage, there are a few steps you can take to get this common houseplant pest in check. First, take the plant outdoors or into the shower and “wash” it off with a spray of water. Spider mites are tiny and are easily washed off the plant. Be sure to rinse both upper and lower leaf surfaces. Then, after the plant has fully dried, use a light-weight horticultural oil to smother them. Reapply the horticultural oil every 10-14 days for two more applications for the best control.
Other types of houseplant pests
Though there are a handful of other indoor plant pests that may occasionally prove problematic, these five types of houseplant bugs are by far the most common. But, by following the five preventative steps featured at the beginning of this article and using the suggested mechanical and organic product controls, you’ll be able to keep most of these little buggers from causing any real issues.
Remember, arming yourself with a little information goes a long way toward growing healthy, pest-free houseplants. Be smart about your choice of plants. For apartment dwellers, our list of the best houseplants for small spaces offers plenty of great plant choices. Healthy houseplants are better able to fend off pests, too. We’re sure you’ll find our guide to houseplant fertilizer basics very useful, too.
More posts about managing pests
- Our guide to vegetable garden pests
- Grub worm: Organic control tips for the lawn
- Pests of roses and their organic control
- How to prevent pests in the garden: 5 strategies
- Identifying garden pests: How to figure out who is eating your plants
Which types of houseplant bugs have you faced? How did you control them? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below.
Hi. I have very tiny white bugs on the top of my houseplant leaves. They are very small and do not appear to move. When I finally got a fair photo of them, they look like a 6 legged pest. They are white. I would love
to send a photo, but I don’t see that option. I haven’t seen this pest on any websites.
I have found tiny orange cottony bugs all over several house plants, and have used plant bug spray on the plants. I was wondering what these bugs could be so I can treat my plants properly.
Hi! I have a philodendron with a bunch of tiny black flying bugs on it. They are very annoying and i kill over ten per day. What do you think they are?
They sound like they could be fungus gnats.
So I know this thread seems to start from a while back but my mom gave me a chinese aloe plant and so far it’s been staying alive, which is great since I’ve killed everything else, but today I went to move it and I saw a white bug about the size of my pinky nail and about the width of it too, it was chunky.
It had quite a enough legs to freak me out but it dug into the soil when I tried to get a closer look so I don’t know what it is. I don’t see any others but I do seem to see little holes around the soil in the pot from where it’s been moving in and out. It doesn’t look like any pictures of aloe plant bugs I’ve seen. It doesn’t look like really anything I’ve seen. It kind of looked like a maggot and a caterpillar had a baby but a lot less legs.
I don’t do well with bugs and generally end up killing the plant trying to rid it of them. (RIP Peace Lily) I’m trying to figure out what it is, if it’s gonna harm the plant, and if I leave it if it’ll breed like gnats do and I’ll end up with s family of the little buggers taking over my soil.
Interesting. It doesn’t sound like any common houseplant pest out there, so I doubt that it will harm your plant. It’s probably just living in the soil. I would recommend purchasing some fresh potting soil and repotting the plant, removing as much of the old soil as possible. Do this outside so the little critter currently living in it, doesn’t escape into your home. This is a great time of year to repot houseplants, so you should have no problem.
I have sticky white cottony things on the underside of my Pothos leaves. I touch them and they aren’t a bug. Never the same shape. I wipe it off and it comes back. I originally had it on a indoor basil plant. Three that out. But now my Pothos is infested. Any thoughts?
Sounds very much like cottony scale or perhaps mealybugs, both of which don’t move much and don’t look like bugs at all. They look like little tufts of cotton. Treat according to the scale instructions above.
Hello!
I have very very very tiny black bugs all over my indoor pony tail palm leaves and it’s slowly killing it. Have not seen one article that can tell me what they are! They are small enough to look like flecks of pepper. Help!
Sounds like scale. Follow the instructions here for getting rid of scale. It’s a tough one, but getting rid of it is possible.
FUNGUS GNATS!!! Neem oil application seemed to hurt my plants especially the small propagating ones but those seem to attract the nasty things because of the need to keep them moist during the propagating period. I tried sand but it looks bad, now I am trying the peroxide water mixture and the sticky tabs. Pray for me!
I have a bug problem, i have very small worm like bugs that look like centipedes, very tiny and they crawl very fast. They’re in the plant and also, they’re coming from different directions now, what do I do?
I suggest repotting the plant with new, sterile potting soil. Try to remove as much of the old soil as possible, carefully washing off the roots and then repot using the new soil.
Hi, I have a indoor palm tree and there seems to be 2 types of bugs living in the soil, one is small with antennas and the other is even smaller and slightly silver. I’m not sure how to get rid of these or what to do so I need some advice.
thank you
It’s likely that the insects you describe are feeding on the soil and the organic matter in it, not on the plant itself. From your description, they don’t sound like any common houseplant pest. I would let them be. If you feel you must get rid of them, simply repot the plant in the spring, using new sterile potting mix and washing as much of the old soil off the roots as possible. This is the safest, most effective way to get rid of critters living in the soil of a houseplant.
My wife has a garden of vegetables and herbs in pots and planters and we found a bunch of redish to orange (i am color blind) type larvae or eggs in her blueberry pot
(which has not been growing) how can we get rid of them if they’re bad bugs for our plants?
They don’t sound like any familiar blueberry pest. They’re probably just benign and happened to move into the pot. I wouldn’t worry about getting rid of them unless you see outright damage on the plants (chewed holes, pock-marked foliage, etc). If you do, then I’d repot the plant, cleaning as much of the soil off of the roots as possible and replanting with new soil.