mealybugs on Syngonium
Quick answer
If your Syngonium has mealybugs, the most likely cause is: Mealybugs are documented as a pest to which Syngonium podophyllum is susceptible; the waxy white pests colonize leaf axils where the petiole meets the stem and suck sap, weakening new growth and leaving sticky honeydew across the variegated foliage if left unchecked.
Start here:
- 1. Dab individual cottony mealybug tufts with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol diluted 3:1 with water, which dissolves their waxy coating without burning the leaf sectors.
- 2. Spray the entire plant - including leaf axils, stem joints, and the underside of leaves - with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, repeating until no fresh cottony clusters reappear.
Why Syngonium gets mealybugs
Syngonium podophyllum / arrowhead
Mealybugs are documented as a pest to which Syngonium podophyllum is susceptible; the waxy white pests colonize leaf axils where the petiole meets the stem and suck sap, weakening new growth and leaving sticky honeydew across the variegated foliage if left unchecked.
How to reverse mealybugs on Syngonium
- 1
Dab individual cottony mealybug tufts with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol diluted 3:1 with water, which dissolves their waxy coating without burning the leaf sectors.
- 2
Spray the entire plant - including leaf axils, stem joints, and the underside of leaves - with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, repeating until no fresh cottony clusters reappear.
Keep mealybugs off this Syngonium
Inspect new Syngonium podophyllum plants and the leaf axils of existing ones on a routine basis under a hand lens for early cottony masses, isolate newly purchased plants for a quarantine period before introducing them to other houseplants, and remove any infested foliage before the colony spreads.