If your houseplants have been given all the food, water, and sun they need and they still seem to lack vigor, you may want to inspect them closely for insect pests. Insects and mites can appear on houseplants at any time of the year and they are not always easy to see. They often arrive on recently purchased plants or on plants that have been received as gifts. Fortunately, most houseplant pests can be easily treated with a solution of soap and water, rubbing alcohol, or with sticky traps.
They will attack all types of indoor (and outdoor) plants, but seem especially fond of ornamental peppers, hibiscus, chrysanthemums, and herbs. They stunt plants' growth and leave them looking distorted by sucking sap from their stems and leaves.
Attack aphids with a wash of warm, soapy water followed by a clear rinse as recommended for spider mites. Successive generations may hatch, so be prepared to re-treat the plant to achieve final victory.
Like many sap-sucking insects, as they feed they excrete a sticky honeydew that detracts from the appearance of the plant and invites other problems. Although the winged-adults are the stage most commonly seen, it's the immature nymph stage that causes the most injuries to plants.
To interrupt the life-cycle, use yellow sticky cards stuck into the soil to trap the adults. These are available at most garden centers, or you can make your own using bright yellow paper smeared with petroleum jelly. On small plants, adults can also be extracted using a hand-held vacuum.
To get rid of them, dab each bug with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. (Avoid touching the plant's leaves with alcohol as it may cause burns.) Afterwards, rinse the leaves with tepid, un-softened water.
Be persistent in your efforts to eradicate them. This pest has a track record of winning when gardeners give up too easily!
Heavily infested plants should be tossed out as they are difficult to control in large numbers. If you are lucky enough to notice a mite problem before your plant has sustained significant damage, take it outside, lay it on its side, and blast the undersides of the leaves with a spray from the hose.
If temperatures make taking the plant outside impossible, fill a pan with lukewarm water and mild dish soap. Cover the top of the pot with aluminum foil to hold in the dirt, then turn the plant over and swish the foliage through the suds. Rinse well with clear water.
Several weekly baths may be necessary to get rid of these guys completely. Spider mites prefer a dry environment, so mist foliage daily to discourage resettlement.
One way to suppress their numbers is to remove any decaying plant matter from around the base of the plant and let the surface of the soil dry out between watering. Adult gnats can be trapped with yellow sticky cards.
No wash or water spray will dislodge these small barnacles, and their hard protective armor can be difficult to penetrate with alcohol. One of the most effective ways to remove them is to dislodge them using a soft toothbrush or wet cloth.
This page contains the following solutions.
I have many household plants throughout my home. I used indoor soil for these plants and didn't think there would be any flying insects. My friend introduced me to these yellow sticky traps (she actually gave me a handful).
To get rid of any kind of bugs on house plants use regular dish soap and warm water. Spray on leaves and the top of soil 1-3 times per week and you will be bug free. It also leaves the foliage looking dust free and happy!
A natural solution for a small bug infestation on your houseplants is to remove them using tape. No pesticides necessarily needed. This page is about how you can use tape to remove bugs from plants.