Mealybugs
White, cottony tufts tucked into leaf joints and along the vines are mealybugs — the classic hoya pest.
Diagnosis
Mealybugs
What's happening
Mealybugs are soft scale insects that love the dense, sheltered growth and waxy leaves of hoya carnosa. They cluster in leaf axils, on new growth, and even down among the roots, piercing the plant to suck sap. As they feed they weaken the plant, cause yellowing and stunted leaves, and excrete sticky honeydew that turns into black sooty mold.
How to fix it
Isolate the plant immediately so they don't spread. Dab every visible cluster with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to kill them on contact, then spray the whole plant — tops and undersides of leaves, all the leaf joints, and the vines — with insecticidal soap or a neem solution. Repeat every 5–7 days for at least three rounds to catch newly hatched crawlers, and check the densest tangled growth carefully since that's where they hide.
What fixes it
- Insecticidal soap — Insecticidal soap smothers mealybugs and crawlers on contact and is safe to repeat weekly until they're gone.
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