Reading pest clues

You do not need to be an insect expert to narrow down a pest. The damage and what the pest leaves behind give strong clues.

Fine, pale speckling on leaves with delicate webbing points to spider mites, which are tiny and oval. Cottony white tufts in leaf joints are typical of mealybugs. Small immobile bumps lined up along stems and veins are usually scale insects. Clusters of soft, pear-shaped insects on shoot tips and buds, with curled or yellowed leaves, suggest aphids. Tiny white flying insects that rise when the plant is moved are whiteflies.

Mealybugs, scale and aphids all produce sticky honeydew. A black, dusty coating called sooty mould can grow on it, which is a sign of the insects rather than a separate problem.

Small dark flies around the pot are often fungus gnats, which point to mix that stays too wet.

Once you have a likely name, the reference pages explain life cycles and treatment.