What's Eating Your Fiddle Leaf Fig?

Ficus lyrata

Reviewed by Kiersten Rankel M.S.

Quick Answer

For fiddle leaf fig, the most likely culprits are scale insects, the defining pest of Ficus, clustered along the woody trunk and leaf-petiole joints. Mealybugs follow the same hiding spots. Spider mites bronze the glossy violin-shaped leaves in winter dry heat. Thrips scar new red bud sheaths as fresh leaves emerge.

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What does the damage look like?

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Brown bumps on trunk and leaf joints

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White cottony tufts in leaf joints

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Tiny pale dots and bronzed leaves

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Scarred new leaves emerging

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Pests, ranked by impact

Brown soft scale (Coccus hesperidum) clustered on a plant stem

Scale insects

Damage

High

Removal

Hard

What it looks like

Hard or soft brown bumps stuck to the woody trunk, the leaf-petiole joint, and along the central rib on the underside of the violin-shaped leaves. 1 to 3 mm wide and look like tiny barnacles. The dense canopy and waxy leaf surface hide colonies for weeks.

What the damage looks like

A sticky shiny film on leaves and on the pot rim, often followed by sooty black mold. Yellow halos around each cluster. Each lost leaf on a fiddle leaf fig is a year of growth that does not regrow on the same node, so visible decline reads as permanent damage on a statement plant.

How to get rid of them

Option 1

Scrape and dab with alcohol, weekly for 3 weeks

Put on gloves. Fiddle leaf fig leaks milky white latex sap when scraped or pruned, and the sap can irritate skin.

Scrape every visible bump off the trunk, leaf-petiole joints, and undersides with a fingernail or soft toothbrush. The thick waxy leaves take firm pressure well.

Dab any remaining bumps with a cotton swab dipped in 70% isopropyl alcohol to penetrate the waxy seal.

Repeat weekly for 3 weeks to catch newly hatched crawlers hidden in the dense canopy.

Option 2

Horticultural oil spray, weekly for 3 weeks

Test on one leaf first. Fiddle leaf fig is notorious for scorching from oil applied in direct sun.

Mix horticultural oil (Bonide All Seasons, ~$15) per label and spray every leaf surface, the leaf-petiole joints, and the full trunk at lights-out.

Rinse the leaves with cool water the next morning to clear residual oil before sun hits the canopy.

Repeat every 7 days for 3 weeks. Smothers crawlers and adults the alcohol pass missed.

Option 3

Isolate the plant from your collection

Move the fiddle leaf fig at least 6 feet from other houseplants. Scale crawlers walk to neighboring pots in the first week of life. Wipe the windowsill, the floor under the pot, and any tools that touched the trunk.

Mealybugs

Damage

High

Removal

Hard

What it looks like

Soft white insects covered in cottony fluff, 2 to 4 mm long. Cluster in the leaf-petiole junctions and along the woody trunk where new branches emerge. The dense overlapping canopy of large violin-shaped leaves hides them well.

What the damage looks like

White cottony tufts visible at every leaf-petiole joint and along the trunk. A sticky shiny film on the leaves below the cluster. New leaves emerge stunted, smaller than the mature canopy, and can drop within weeks. On a fiddle leaf fig where each new leaf is a slow event, the loss is visible for years.

How to get rid of them

Option 1

Cotton swab dipped in 70% isopropyl alcohol

Wear gloves to protect skin from the latex sap that leaks when leaves move. Dab every visible mealybug. The alcohol melts the waxy coating and kills on contact. Pull leaves apart gently to reach colonies tucked at the leaf-petiole joints and along the trunk. Repeat every 3 days for 3 weeks to catch newly hatched eggs.

Option 2

Insecticidal soap and neem oil rotation, 4 weeks

Spray ready-to-use insecticidal soap on the underside of every leaf, into the leaf-petiole joints, and along the trunk at lights-out. Alternate weekly with neem oil. Continue 4 weeks because eggs hatch in protected pockets over time. Test on one leaf first because fiddle leaf fig can scorch from oil in direct sun.

Option 3

Isolate the plant from your collection

Move the fiddle leaf fig at least 6 feet from other houseplants. Mealybugs spread by crawling and the dense canopy shelters them long enough to walk to a neighbor. Wipe nearby pots and the floor under the plant.

Spider mites

Damage

Medium

Removal

Moderate

What it looks like

Almost invisible without a hand lens. Yellow-green to red-orange specks running along the underside of leaves, especially next to the prominent ribbed veins. Indoor heated air through winter dries the canopy and triggers a population boom.

What the damage looks like

Pale tiny pale dots along the ribbed veins where colonies start, then visible bronzing across the smooth glossy leaf surface that does not green back up. Fine webbing strung at the leaf-petiole junction. The shine the plant is grown for goes flat across whole leaves at once.

How to get rid of them

Option 1

Shower the leaves weekly for 3 weeks

Move the fiddle leaf fig to the shower or carry it outside on a mild day.

Spray cool water on the underside of every leaf for 30 seconds, paying attention to the ribbed veins where colonies cluster.

Towel-dry the smooth waxy leaves so water does not pool and cause leaf spotting.

Repeat weekly for 3 weeks. Mites cannot reattach quickly when knocked off.

Option 2

Neem oil at lights-out, every 5 days for 3 rounds

Test on one leaf first. Fiddle leaf fig can scorch from oil if light hits before it is rinsed off.

Mix 2 tablespoons cold-pressed neem oil and 1 teaspoon dish soap per gallon of water.

Spray top and bottom of every leaf at lights-out, focusing on the ribbed veins and the leaf-petiole junction.

Rinse with cool water the next morning. Repeat every 5 days for 3 rounds to cover the full egg-to-adult cycle.

Option 3

Raise humidity above 50%

Run a humidifier near the plant for 50 to 60% relative humidity. Fiddle leaf fig is a West African rainforest tree and the moisture suits the canopy anyway. Hot dry winter heating is the climate spider mites need to breed fast.

Thrips

Damage

Medium

Removal

Hard

What it looks like

Slender dark insects 1 to 2 mm long. Walk along leaves rather than fly. Hide inside the bright red bud sheath that wraps each new leaf as it emerges and at the leaf-petiole joint. Easiest to spot by tapping a new leaf over a sheet of white paper.

What the damage looks like

Silver or bronze streaks on the upper leaf surface with tiny black dots alongside, but the unmistakable signal on fiddle leaf fig is scarring on freshly unfurled leaves. New leaves emerge from the red bud sheath already distorted, with chewed-looking edges or holes that lock in for the leaf's lifespan. Heavy infestations vector viruses.

How to get rid of them

Option 1

Blue sticky traps at canopy height

Hang blue sticky cards (Stikem or Trappify, ~$10 per pack) just above the leafy canopy near the newest growth tip where bud sheaths form. Thrips are drawn to blue and stick on contact. Replace every 2 weeks. Won't eliminate alone but cuts the breeding population.

Option 2

Spinosad spray, weekly for 3 weeks

Spinosad (Captain Jack's or Monterey Garden Insect Spray, ~$12 to $15) is the most effective home treatment. Spray every leaf surface and around the new red bud sheaths at lights-out. Repeat weekly for 3 weeks to break the life cycle and protect the next leaves to emerge.

Option 3

Release predatory mites (Amblyseius cucumeris)

Order from Arbico Organics or similar (~$20) and sprinkle on the plant. They eat thrips eggs and nymphs in the leaf-petiole junctions where spinosad coverage is hardest. Best for established infestations resistant to spray alone.

Stay ahead of all of them

Four habits that keep fiddle leaf fig pests rare and easy to catch.

Trunk and joint check, every Sunday

Scale and mealybugs both cluster on the woody trunk and at every leaf-petiole joint, the spots the dense fiddle leaf canopy hides best. A weekly 30-second scan catches colonies while they're still small enough to wipe off.

Quarantine new houseplants for 2 weeks

Scale and thrips ride home from the nursery on the plant you bought. Fiddle leaf fig is a famous scale magnet and one new plant in the room can seed an infestation that takes months to clear. Two weeks of isolation catches anything before it crosses the room.

Wipe leaves with a damp cloth monthly

The glossy waxy violin-shaped leaves clean up beautifully. The wipe catches dust that hides early scale, mealybugs, and spider mites, and keeps the canopy looking like the statement plant it is meant to be.

Run a humidifier through winter

Indoor heating dries the canopy and is the trigger for spider mite booms on fiddle leaf fig. Holding 50 to 60% humidity through the winter blocks the dry conditions mites need and suits the West African rainforest origin of the plant.

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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 Ficus lyrata field reports from Greg's botanical database, cross-referenced with university extension sources and published horticultural research.

42,717+ Greg users growing this plant

USDA hardiness zones 10a–12b

Citations:
NC State Extension
Missouri Botanical Garden
Royal Horticultural Society
Mealybug photo: Gianni Del Bufalo (CC BY 2.0)
Spider mite photo: Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension, Bugwood.org (CC BY 3.0 US)
Thrips photo: Ryan Hodnett (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Scale photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Bugwood.org (CC BY 3.0 US)