Winged Insects

• Whiteflies are sucking insects that attack houseplants like the hibiscus. These small light-colored bugs have a white, waxy covering and resemble gnats. Whiteflies leave behind evidence of a sticky, honeydew-like substance. Aphids are pests that use their mouthparts to suck and ingest fluids from hibiscus plants. These tiny, soft-bodied insects have yellow, brown, green or black bodies depending on the species. Aphids cause plant leaves to curl, yellow and misshape. Severe infestations debilitate a plant’s ability to form new foliage.
  
  

Non-Winged Insects

• Mealy bugs are grayish insects with soft, wingless bodies. These pests form large masses on hibiscus plants resulting in premature leaf drop and twig dieback. Mealy bugs leave behind honeydew-like residue and a sooty black mold. Scales are immovable soft-bodied insects with no wings or recognizable body parts. These sucking insects have mouthparts that simulate straws to absorb the sap from plants. Soft scales deform leaves, creating discoloration and blemishing to form on the plant’s foliage.
  
  

Arachnids

• Spider mites are not insects, but belong to the arachnid family. These small detrimental pests have red to brown or yellow to green bodies, depending on species, and are very hard to see without magnification. Spider mites attach themselves to the underside of hibiscus plant leaves. These destructive pests create white and brown spots on the foliage causing the leave to drop prematurely. Signs of an infestation include webbing covering the foliage and flecking or a scorched appearance on the plant’s leaves.
  
  

Prevention and Control

• Insecticidal soaps help control the population of most hibiscus plants, including mealy bugs, spider mites and aphids. Applying horticultural oil to hibiscus plants during winter, scales dormant season, assists in ridding the plant of these pests. The introduction of natural enemies such as ladybugs, predatory mites, parasitic wasps and lacewings aid in the elimination of pests on hibiscus plants. Pruning is another method of controlling the population of many hibiscus pests. Mealy bugs and whiteflies are highly difficult to control with insecticides. Using a forceful steam of water helps to reduce the number of mealy bugs, spider mites and whiteflies on hibiscus plants.