What's Eating Your Golden Pothos?

Cut the affected vine back to a clean node

Pothos rebounds vigorously from any node, so heavily infested vines can be cut hard. Snip below the lowest visible mealybug, drop the cuttings in the trash (not compost), and the plant re-sprouts from the remaining stem within weeks. Often the fastest fix when colonies are advanced.

Cotton swab dipped in 70% isopropyl alcohol

Dab every visible mealybug. The alcohol melts the waxy coating and kills on contact. Lift each vine to reach colonies hiding at the leaf-petiole junctions and around aerial roots. Repeat every 3 days for 3 weeks to catch newly hatched eggs.

Insecticidal soap + neem oil rotation, 4 weeks

Spray ready-to-use insecticidal soap on the underside of leaves and along every stem node at lights-out. Alternate weekly with neem oil. Continue 4 weeks because eggs hatch in protected stem-node pockets over time and need ongoing pressure.

Shower the leaves weekly for 3 weeks

Move the pothos to the shower or sink. Spray cool water on the underside of every heart-shaped leaf for 30 seconds. Mites can't reattach quickly when knocked off, and the rinse humidity slows survivors. Pothos handles the bath well. Repeat weekly for 3 weeks.

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

Raise humidity above 50%

Run a humidifier near the plant for 50 to 60% relative humidity. Pothos is a tropical vine and grows faster in the moisture anyway. Hot dry indoor heating is the climate mites need to breed fast.

Scrape and dab with alcohol, weekly for 3 weeks

Cut back heavily infested vines

Pothos re-sprouts from any node, so a vine plastered with scale can be snipped at the base and tossed. The remaining plant pushes new growth within weeks. Faster than scraping when one vine is far worse than the rest.

Horticultural oil spray, weekly for 3 weeks

Spray horticultural oil (Bonide All Seasons, ~$15) on every leaf and along every stem node. Smothers crawlers and adults. Apply at lights-out, every 7 days for 3 weeks.

Yellow sticky traps near the soil

Stick yellow cards (Trappify, ~$10) just above the soil surface. Adults stick to them on takeoff and landing. Often enough on its own for pothos because the plant isn't stressed by the larvae.

Let the top inch dry between waterings

Pothos prefers a brief dry-down anyway. Letting the top inch dry kills larvae and stops adults from laying eggs. Use a finger check, not a schedule.

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 and water in lightly. Safe for pothos, pets, and beneficial soil microbes.