What's Eating Your Peace Lily?

Cotton swab dipped in 70% isopropyl alcohol

Dab every visible mealybug. The alcohol melts the waxy coating and kills on contact. Pull leaves apart gently to reach colonies in the central crown and at leaf-petiole joints. 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 into the crown at lights-out. Alternate weekly with neem oil. Continue 4 weeks because eggs hatch in protected crown pockets over time and need ongoing pressure.

Isolate the plant from your collection

Move the peace lily at least 6 feet from other houseplants. Mealybugs spread by crawling. Wipe nearby pots, the windowsill, and any tools that touched the infested plant.

Bottom-water and let the top inch dry

Set the pot in a tray of water for 20 minutes, then drain. The top inch stays dry, killing larvae and stopping adults from laying eggs. Peace lily droops dramatically when thirsty, so use the droop as your watering signal.

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 bottom-watering kills the larvae.

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 during the next bottom-water. Safe for peace lily, pets, and beneficial soil microbes.

Shower the leaves weekly for 3 weeks

Move the peace lily to the shower or sink. Spray cool water on the underside of every leaf for 30 seconds. Mites can't reattach quickly when knocked off, and the rinse humidity slows survivors. Peace lily loves the bath. 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. Peace lily is a Central American rainforest plant and wants the moisture anyway. Hot dry indoor heating is the climate mites need to breed fast.

Blue sticky traps at canopy height

Hang blue sticky cards (Stikem or Trappify, ~$10 per pack) just above the leafy canopy. Thrips are attracted to blue and stick on contact. Replace every 2 weeks. Won't eliminate alone but reduces the population.

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 into the spathes at lights-out. Repeat weekly for 3 weeks to break the life cycle.

Release predatory mites (Amblyseius cucumeris)

Order from Arbico Organics or similar (~$20). Sprinkle on the plant. They eat thrips eggs and nymphs. Best for established infestations resistant to spray alone.

Scrape with a fingernail or soft toothbrush

Scale insects are stuck under a waxy seal. Scrape every visible bump off. Each one removed is one less egg-layer. Peace lily's smooth leaves take a fingernail well.

Cotton swab + 70% alcohol, weekly for 3 weeks

After scraping, dab any remaining bumps with a cotton swab dipped in 70% isopropyl alcohol. The alcohol penetrates the waxy seal and kills the insect. Repeat weekly for 3 weeks to catch newly hatched crawlers.

Horticultural oil spray, weekly for 3 weeks

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