Spider mites
Fine webbing with a stippled, dusty speckling across the leaves points to spider mites.
Diagnosis
Spider mites
What's happening
Spider mites are nearly microscopic arachnids that thrive in warm, dry indoor air. They gather on the undersides of hoya leaves and pierce the cells to feed, leaving a fine pale stippling on top that can spread until the whole leaf looks dull and bronzed. In a bad infestation you'll see delicate webbing strung between leaves and stems.
How to fix it
Move the plant away from others and rinse it well, focusing a firm spray on the undersides of the leaves to knock mites and webbing loose. Then treat thoroughly with insecticidal soap, coating the undersides where they live, and repeat every 5–7 days for several rounds to break the breeding cycle. Raising humidity around the plant afterward makes the environment far less inviting to the next generation of mites.
What fixes it
- Insecticidal soap — Insecticidal soap kills spider mites on contact when sprayed on the leaf undersides; repeat weekly to clear all hatchlings.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full Hoya Carnosa care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this