How to identify houseplant pests

Visual guide to the 7 most common pests with intervention protocols.

Updated on 2026-07-17 · 8 min

Identifying the pest before intervening is essential: each species has different vulnerabilities. This guide helps you spot the culprit in seconds.

Spider mites

Yellow stippling and fine webbing. Treatment: shower + neem oil for 3 weeks.

Immobile brown shields or white cottony clusters. Treatment: alcohol + white oil.

Visible colonies on shoots, sticky honeydew. Treatment: potassium soap.

Black gnats flying around the plant. Treatment: Bti in watering.

Silvery dots and black spots on leaves. Treatment: blue sticky traps + neem.