6 Spider Plant Pests: Identification & Control Tips

Want to learn about Spider plant pests?

Like any other indoor plant, the Spider plant can become an easy target for many known pests in the gardening world.

These pests often attack the leaves and stems of the plant, as these are the parts that produce resources for the entire plant system.

So, what are these common pests?

And more importantly, how do you deal with them?

I know you must be curious to learn more about them.

Well, let’s dive deep into this topic and get to know some detailed information about these pests.

What Is Eating My Spider Plant? – 6 Common Pests

In the following list, you will find the common pests that attack the Spider plant’s leaves.

1. Aphids

Aphids are one of the most destructive pests in the world.

These insects affect pretty much all types of indoor and outdoor plants.

They thrive on the sap produced by the plants, which contains all the nutrients required for their growth.

The other interesting characteristic of this pest is that it multiplies quickly.

So, if you don’t attend to your Spider plant or any other plant in the garden, you will see a widespread attack on most plants.

2. Mealybugs

Mealybugs are another common pest in the plant world.

These white-bodied insects follow the same strategy to wreak havoc on the plants.

They will extract the sap from a thriving plant and will live on it for a few days until they find a new stem or a new plant altogether.

However, mealybugs are easy to identify, as they live in colonies that appear like white clusters.

If you see something like this on your Spider plant, you need to look at it closely.

In most cases, it’s going to be the mealybugs infestation on the plant.

3. Scale

Scales are relatives of mealybugs.

They also appear white and live in colonies.

These insects live on plants that produce sap in the leaves or stems.

Unlike other pests, the scale attack is not as common as other pests’ attacks on Spider plants.

Still, you shouldn’t rule out the possibility completely.

Try to inspect the plant thoroughly and see what’s causing the damage to its parts.

4. Spider Mites

Spider Mites are not as common as Mealybugs or Aphids on Spider plants.

But if these pests infest other plants in your home garden, it won’t take much time for them to jump onto this plant as well.

These mites are quite tiny in their appearance, and they often live under the leaves.

Like most spiders, these mites will also develop small webs on the surface of the leaves.

The webs, however, are primarily used for protection from different predators.

These mites don’t use these structures to catch flies or any other insects around the plant.

So, it’s something you should never forget while inspecting the plant for possible mites attack.

5. White Flies

As the name suggests, these little pests have a white-bodied structure.

They also extract the sap from the plant, which makes the plant weaker.

Since these insects have wings to fly, you will find them flying around on the leaves and stems of your plant.

6. Snails

Are you wondering what’s eating or chewing your Spider plant leaves?

Well, it could be the snail issue.

Snails are known for this particular characteristic, and they do cause significant damage to tender leaves.

These insects become active during the nighttime. 

During the day, they hide in damp soil or under a pot.

Now, let’s see what you can do to deal with these issues.

How To Get Rid Of Spider Plant Pests

Here’s a list of things to do – 

1. Keep Your Plant Dry All The Time

Most of the above insects cannot thrive without a damp surface or wet conditions in the soil. If you keep these surfaces dry, it becomes easier to avoid these issues entirely.

2. Observe Your Plant Regularly

Yes, do not neglect your plant.

You should always perform a quick check on the Spider plant every day or every other day. This will give you an idea of any possible issues in the plant, and you will also be able to catch the pests in the early stages.

3. Get Rid Of The Pests As Quickly As Possible

If you see snails or whiteflies on the leaves, you can use simple techniques to get rid of them. For snails, you can just pick them up and throw them out of the pot.

Similarly, you can deal with the whiteflies with a water spray. These are easy-to-fix issues in your plant. Therefore, it’s important to address these issues as early as possible.

4. Prune The Plant Regularly

Pruning is a great way to keep the moisture in control.

Of course, there are other benefits of this technique. But, in general, you should prune the Spider plant if there are too many leaves on it.

5. Keep It In Natural Light

There is no better place than to keep this plant in natural light.

When you keep it in sunlight, the plant becomes stronger and grows at a steady rate.

And if you look at the pest attacks, they only target plants that are weak or under stress in your garden. So, try to follow this helpful suggestion and see how it keeps these things away from your plant.

6. Use Neem Oil Spray

Neem oil spray is one of the best tools to deal with such problems in your Spider plant.

If the plant is suffering from a pest attack, you should quickly prepare a solution of Neem oil and spray it on the affected plant. This will greatly help in removing most of the colonies from the plant.

But yes, you will need to do this task a couple of times, as you won’t be able to get to rid of all the pests in one go.

Note: This task should only be performed in the early morning or late evening. Do not spray your plant in the middle of the day because it might affect the leaves and stems.

Furthermore, you should prepare a dilute solution to spray on the plant. Avoid using the concentrated solution to remove the pests.

Well, these are the things you can do to fix the pest problem in your Spider plant.

In the following section, you will find the answers to some of the commonly asked questions. Do take a look at this section if you have any similar doubts in your mind.

FAQs