The whole game is early detection
Pests feed on your plant's nutrients and weaken it — slowly, then quickly. Left unchecked, a few become a few hundred within a fortnight. Check your plants regularly — both sides of the leaves, once a week — and you'll catch them while they're still a chore rather than a crisis.
How to treat any infestation
The same five steps work on all the common pests:
- Isolate immediately. Move the plant to a separate room.
- Rinse the plant in a sink or shower — physically wash off as many as you can.
- Prune heavily-infested areas with clean scissors; bag the trimmings and bin them outside.
- Treat with neem oil or insecticidal soap — apply weekly until clear.
- Keep checking. Most pests have life cycles that need several rounds to break.
The six common pests
Mealybugs, spider mites, scale insects, thrips, aphids and fungus gnats are behind 95% of the infestations we see in UAE homes. Each one has its own deep-dive page — how to identify it, real example photos, and the exact treatment routine. Tap a tile:
The pest cheat sheet
The one-glance version — what each pest looks like, where it hides, and how to fight it:
| Pest | How they look | Where to look | How to treat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mealybugs | White, cotton-like tufts | Leaves, stems, joints, new growth | Isolate, rinse/prune, insecticide weekly ~5 weeks |
| Spider Mites | Silky webbing + speckled leaves | Underside of leaves | Isolate, rinse/prune, insecticide weekly ~5 weeks |
| Scale Insects | Brown hard bumps / scabs | Stems and leaf veins | Isolate, scrape/prune, insecticide weekly ~5 weeks |
| Thrips | Silvery streaks on leaves | Leaves and flowers | Isolate, rinse/prune, blue sticky traps, insecticide weekly ~5 weeks |
| Aphids | Pear-shaped insect clusters (green/white) | New growth and buds | Isolate, rinse/prune, insecticide weekly ~5 weeks |
| Fungus Gnats | Small black mosquito-like flies | Above and on the soil surface | Dry soil, mosquito bits, bottom-up watering, yellow sticky traps |
Plants that shrug pests off
If you'd rather opt out of the problem, these are the most pest-resistant plants we grow:
Quick questions
Where do houseplant pests even come from?
Usually a new plant, fresh soil, open windows, or cut flowers. It's why we pest-check every plant before it ships — and why isolating any new arrival for a week or two is a good habit.
Is neem oil safe to use indoors?
Yes — it's a natural insecticide, safe around people and pets when used as directed. Apply in the evening or away from direct sun, which can react with the oil and scorch leaves.
Do I need to throw away an infested plant?
Rarely. Caught reasonably early, almost every infestation is treatable with the five-step routine. Only a plant that's heavily infested and badly weakened is worth binning to protect the others.
How do I get rid of fungus gnats?
They breed in constantly-damp soil, so let the top few centimetres dry out between waterings — that alone breaks the cycle. Yellow sticky traps catch the adults meanwhile.