What's eating my hoya pachyclada?

Hoya pachyclada is a robust Thai hoya with very thick, succulent-like leaves that store water. Mealybugs are its primary pest, favouring the dense leaf clusters and stem joints. Spider mites are less common thanks to the leathery foliage, but scale insects can establish on older woody stems if overlooked.

White cottony masses tucked between tightly clustered leaves and at nodes; honeydew and sooty mould appear in heavier infestations. Work isopropyl alcohol into crowded leaf clusters with a cotton bud; follow with neem oil spray every 7–10 days.

Hard brown or grey bumps on older woody stems; sap loss causes slow yellowing and reduced flowering. Scrub off scale with a toothbrush dipped in alcohol, then apply horticultural oil; check fortnightly for re-emergence.

Root damage from larvae in overwatered soil; adults hover around the pot and indicate moisture stress below the surface. Let the soil dry out well between waterings (easy with this drought-tolerant species); use sticky traps and BTi soil drench if larvae persist.