What's Eating Your String of Pearls?

Curio rowleyanus

Reviewed by Kiersten Rankel M.S.

Quick Answer

For string of pearls, the most likely culprit is mealybugs. They tuck deep into the tangled mass of trailing strings where the pearls attach to the stems and at the soil-line crown, and the cascading strings give them endless hiding spots. Fungus gnats appear when soil stays too wet, which is the bigger warning. Aphids are rare and only show up on the cinnamon-scented flower stalks.

Stay on top of plant care

Get seasonal reminders for watering and fertilizing, personalized for your plants.

Try Greg Free

What does the damage look like?

Tap the closest match to jump straight to the fix.

White cottony tufts between the pearls

›

Tiny black flies near the soil

›

Tiny green bugs on flower stalks

›

Pests, ranked by impact

Mealybugs

Damage

High

Removal

Hard

What it looks like

Soft white insects covered in cottony fluff, 2 to 4 mm long. Cluster where each pearl attaches to the trailing stem, deep inside the tangled mass of strings, and at the soil-line crown where strings emerge from the pot. The cascading mass gives them infinite hiding spots.

What the damage looks like

White cottony tufts visible at pearl-stem junctions and along the inner strings. Pearls shrivel and drop, leaving bare stem. A sticky shiny film coats the strings below clusters. Severe infestations collapse whole strings and the crown rots out from underneath.

How to get rid of them

Option 1

Cotton swab dipped in 70% isopropyl alcohol

Dab every visible mealybug with a cotton swab. The alcohol melts the waxy coating and kills on contact. Lift strings gently to reach colonies hiding inside the tangle and at the soil-line crown. String of pearls is fragile, so dab, never spray. Repeat every 3 days for 3 weeks to catch newly hatched eggs.

Option 2

Snip and propagate clean strings

For heavy infestations, identify strings that look clean (full firm pearls, no cottony fluff at any junction).

Snip the clean strings off above the infested zone with sharp clean scissors.

Lay the cuttings on top of fresh succulent mix, mist lightly once, and let them root over 2 to 3 weeks. Discard the original infested plant rather than fight a deep-tangle infestation.

Option 3

Isolate the plant from your collection

Move the string of pearls at least 6 feet from other houseplants while you treat. Mealybugs spread by crawling and the trailing strings can brush nearby pots. Wipe the shelf, the windowsill, and any tools that touched the strings.

Fungus gnats

Damage

Medium

Removal

Easy

What it looks like

Tiny dark flies, 1 to 3 mm long, hovering near the soil and flying up when you water. Larvae are barely-visible white worms in the top inch of damp soil.

What the damage looks like

Adults are mostly a nuisance, but their presence is a warning. Fungus gnats only thrive in damp soil, the same conditions that rot string of pearls roots within days. Root rot is the number one killer of this species, so treat the gnats as the smoke alarm and dry the pot out.

How to get rid of them

Option 1

Stop watering and let the soil dry completely

String of pearls roots want bone-dry between drinks. Skip the next 2 or 3 waterings until the pot feels light and the pearls just barely start to soften. Dry soil kills the larvae and stops the adults from laying eggs. This single change resolves most infestations.

Option 2

Yellow sticky traps near the soil

Stick yellow cards (Trappify, ~$10) just above the soil surface. Adults stick to them on takeoff and landing. Catches the breeding population while the dry-out kills the larvae.

Option 3

Mosquito Bits sprinkled on soil

Mosquito Bits (Bt-i, ~$15) is a bacteria-based larvicide that kills fungus gnat larvae specifically. Sprinkle a tablespoon on the soil surface. Safe for string of pearls, pets, and beneficial soil microbes. Use alongside the dry-out, not instead of it.

Common myth

Drench the soil with hydrogen peroxide.

It kills larvae, but it also keeps the soil wet, which is the exact condition that rots string of pearls roots. Drenching directly contradicts the real fix: stop watering and let the pot dry completely.

Aphids

Damage

Low

Removal

Easy

What it looks like

Small soft pear-shaped insects 1 to 3 mm long, usually pale green or black. Cluster on the thin flower stalks that occasionally rise above the strings, and on the cinnamon-scented white-cream blooms themselves. Almost never seen on the pearls or stems.

What the damage looks like

Distorted or sticky flower stalks, sometimes with a clear shiny film. Blooms abort before opening or drop early. Damage is cosmetic and the strings keep growing fine. The bloom is rare indoors anyway, so most owners never see aphids on string of pearls.

How to get rid of them

Option 1

Wipe stalks with a damp cloth

Aphids are soft and sit only on the flower stalks. Run a damp microfiber cloth gently along each stalk to wipe them off. Do not pull on the strings or the attached pearls. One pass usually clears a small bloom infestation.

Option 2

Snip the affected flower stalk

If the cloth wipe doesn't fully clear them, just snip the affected flower stalk at its base. The strings and pearls keep growing untouched. The bloom is cosmetic on string of pearls and removing one stalk costs nothing.

Stay ahead of all of them

Four habits that keep string of pearls pests rare and the strings full.

Lift the strings and check the crown, every Sunday

Mealybugs hide where pearls meet the stem and at the soil-line crown under the trailing mass. Gently lift a few strings each weekend for a 30-second scan. Catching colonies while they're still small avoids ever needing to snip-and-propagate.

Quarantine new succulents for 2 weeks

Mealybugs ride home from the nursery on the plant you bought, and string of pearls' tangled mass is the perfect place for them to hide undetected. Two weeks of isolation on a separate shelf catches anything before it spreads to your other succulents.

Let the pot go bone-dry between waterings

String of pearls roots rot within days in damp soil, and damp soil is the only thing fungus gnats need to breed. Wait until the pearls just barely start to soften before watering. Bone-dry between drinks blocks gnats and root rot in one move.

Skip aggressive sprays and showers

The pearls attach to thin stems with a single fragile point. A blast from a shower head or pressure sprayer knocks pearls off and they don't grow back on that stem. For pests, dab with a cotton swab. For dust, a soft brush, never water spray.

Stay on top of plant care

Get seasonal reminders for watering and fertilizing, personalized for your plants.

Try Greg Free

About This Article

Kiersten Rankel M.S.

Botanical Data Lead at Greg · Plant Scientist

About the Author

Kiersten Rankel holds an M.S. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from Tulane University. A certified Louisiana Master Naturalist, she has over a decade of experience in science communication, with research spanning corals, cypress trees, marsh grasses, and more. At Greg, she curates species data and verifies care recommendations against botanical research.

See Kiersten Rankel's full background on LinkedIn.

Editorial Process

Pest identification and treatment guidance verified against Curio rowleyanus field reports from Greg's botanical database, cross-referenced with university extension sources and published horticultural research.

27,525+ Greg users growing this plant

USDA hardiness zones 9a–12b

Citations:
NC State Extension
Mealybug photo: Gianni Del Bufalo (CC BY 2.0)
Fungus gnat photo: B. Schoenmakers (CC BY 3.0)
Aphid photo: Scot Nelson (CC0)