So a few weeks ago I posted about my hibiscus plant dying…
today I finally looked very close at the dying leaves and found the culprit…
what’s this icky insect and how to get rid of it!
Looks like some type of scale insect.
They are difficult to eradicate. Probably best to prune off the most affected foliage, and treat the rest over an extended period with something like Neem oil to kill/suffocate the little bastids. Or if there’s a really bad infestation, I’d toss the plant and start over.
Those look different than the scales I’ve seen, but I would guess that is what they are. My wife has a lot of houseplants and occasionally scales show up on some. She tends to prune them way back and hand wash the rest with soapy water. Typically that takes care of it but sometimes they show up again. She has thrown out a plant or two when she has been unable to get rid of them.