Lipstick plant pests, webbing or sticky leaves: causes and what to do
6 results in the diagnosis tree begin with pests, 5 of them marked likely when the answers fit. They are ordered here for Lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus radicans), using what its sources say about pests and diseases, humidity and watering and 3 problems recorded for it.
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Aeschynanthus radicans is a vine-like plant in the family Gesneriaceae. It is native to the humid tropics of the Malay Peninsula south to Java. Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Native range: S. Myanmar to W. & C. Malesia (wet tropical). Also sold as Basket Vine and Lipstick Vine.
What Lipstick plant’s sources say that bears on this
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by aphids, mealybugs and scale insects.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Can be troubled by mealybugs and aphids. Diseases: usually none.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
- ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Watering
- Water often, but make sure the potting soil drains well.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Between mid spring and late summer, water generously and feed monthly with a general liquid feed at half strength. Give little water in winter.RHS · read 13 September 2026
How this shows up on a Lipstick plant
Clusters of small soft insects on the shoot tips and buds: aphids
The youngest growth of the lipstick plant is sticky and distorted, and a closer look finds colonies of small, pear-shaped insects.
RHS lists aphids among the pests it may attract. They favor tender tips and buds, so the damage concentrates where the plant is growing.
Telling it apart: Where they sit. Aphids crowd soft tips and buds; scale sits still on older stems.
RHS · read 13 September 2026Small white woolly insects tucked into the leaf joints
The lipstick plant carries white, cottony specks in its crevices, and growth slows. Leaves beneath the colonies turn sticky and, in time, dull or yellow.
RHS lists mealybugs among the pests it may attract. They feed on sap and shed the excess as sticky honeydew, and a colony tucked into the joints spreads before it is noticed.
Telling it apart: Whether the white comes with stickiness. Mealybugs leave honeydew; dust and mildew do not.
RHS · read 13 September 2026Sticky leaves and immobile shell-like insects on the stems
Rows of small, hard scales sit where the veins of the lipstick plant are thickest, and the surface below them is glossy with honeydew.
NC State Extension lists scale insects among the pests it may attract. The insect settles under a waxy shell and feeds on sap for life, so a colony builds quietly along the stems.
Telling it apart: Whether the bumps sit on the veins. Scale follows the sap; spots from disease scatter across the leaf.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Possible causes, likeliest first for a Lipstick plant
Most likely mealybugs
Ranked higher because Lipstick plant's recorded problems point this way.
- Small white woolly insects tucked into the leaf joints RHS
Why: Mealybugs are soft insects that cover themselves in white wax, which gives the cottony look.
What to try:
- Move the lipstick plant away from other plants.
- Wipe off every insect you can see with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, testing a single leaf first.
What would settle it: Touch a tuft with a cotton swab. If a small, pale, oval insect is underneath, it is a mealybug.
Most likely scale insects
Ranked higher because Lipstick plant's recorded problems point this way.
- Sticky leaves and immobile shell-like insects on the stems NC State Extension
Why: Scale insects settle in one place under a hard or waxy shell and feed on sap.
What to try:
- Move the lipstick plant away from other plants.
- Scrape the scales off with a fingernail or a soft brush, then wipe the stems and leaves.
What would settle it: Push a bump gently with a fingernail. Scale comes away and leaves a mark; a bump that is part of the lipstick plant does not move.
Most likely aphids
Ranked higher because Lipstick plant's recorded problems point this way.
- Clusters of small soft insects on the shoot tips and buds: aphids RHS
Why: Aphids cluster on soft new growth and flower buds, where the sap is easiest to reach.
What to try:
- Rub them off with fingers, or rinse them off in a sink or shower.
- Repeat every few days while new ones appear.
What would settle it: Look for the pale shed skins among the insects. Aphids molt as they grow, and the skins are left behind in the colony.
Less likely for a Lipstick plant, still possible
Questions
- What usually causes pests on a Lipstick plant?
- For Lipstick plant: mealybugs, scale insects and aphids.
- How can I tell which one it is on my Lipstick plant?
- What can you see? Fine webbing, and tiny pale speckles on the leaves; White, cottony tufts in the leaf joints; Small brown or pale bumps on stems and leaves that do not move; Clusters of small, soft insects on the new growth; Tiny dark flies around the soil; Sticky, shiny residue, but no insect I can see.
- What do Lipstick plant's sources say about its pests and diseases?
- NC State Extension: Can be troubled by aphids, mealybugs and scale insects. RHS: Can be troubled by mealybugs and aphids. Diseases: usually none.
- What does this look like on a Lipstick plant?
- The youngest growth of the lipstick plant is sticky and distorted, and a closer look finds colonies of small, pear-shaped insects. Telling it apart: Where they sit. Aphids crowd soft tips and buds; scale sits still on older stems.
Other plants that show pests
African violetIrregular notches bitten from leaf edges by an insect pest
Goldfish plantClusters of small soft insects on the shoot tips and buds: aphids
Barberton daisyCurled, sticky new leaves with green or black insects: aphids
Bearded irisRagged holes and slime trails: a slug or snail pest
Bigleaf hydrangeaClusters of small soft insects on the shoot tips and buds: aphids
Bird of paradiseDull, finely mottled leaves and faint webs: spider mites
Something else wrong with the Lipstick plant?
What this does not cover
This page orders a decision tree's results using a plant's sourced care. It has not seen your plant, its pot or its window, and two problems at once are common: that is the usual reason a confident answer turns out wrong. The questions in the diagnosis tool narrow it further than a list can.