What's eating my hoya vitellinoides?

Hoya vitellinoides is a rare collector hoya grown indoors for its unusual corrugated foliage. It is susceptible to the core hoya pest trio: mealybugs (the top threat), spider mites in dry air, and scale on older stems. The deeply ridged leaf texture provides extra hiding places for mealybugs, so inspect carefully at each watering.

White waxy clumps in leaf grooves, axils, and stem nodes; honeydew drip and leaf yellowing Use an alcohol-dipped cotton swab to clear colonies; spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap weekly for a month

Stippled, dull leaf surfaces; webbing between ridged leaf veins in low-humidity conditions Boost humidity; wipe leaves clean; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil on a 5–7-day schedule

Tiny hard shells on stems; sap feeding weakens growth and causes leaf drop in heavy infestations Scrape off scale; apply horticultural oil every 10–14 days until no live insects remain