Swiss cheese vine 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 Swiss cheese vine (Monstera adansonii), using what its sources say about pests and diseases, humidity and watering and 2 problems recorded for it.
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Monstera adansonii, the Adanson's monstera, Swiss cheese plant, five holes plant or monkey mask plant, is a species of flowering plant from family Araceae, which is widespread across much of South America and Central America. Monstera adansonii is classified as a hemiepiphyte vine and can be found in tropical forests with hot and high humidity conditions. Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Native range: Trop. America (wet tropical). Also sold as Adanson's Monstera, Cheese Plant, Five Hole Plant and Swiss Cheese Plant.
What Swiss cheese vine’s sources say that bears on this
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by fern scale.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Greenhouse red spider mite and scale insects can attack it. Disease is uncommon.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
- ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Watering
- To prevent leaf spots, keep water off the leaves and give the plant good airflow.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026In the growing season, water generously and feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertiliser. Give little water in winter.RHS · read 13 September 2026
How this shows up on a Swiss cheese vine
Pale stippled leaves and tiny moving dots underneath: a mite pest
The leaf blades of the Swiss cheese vine lose their shine and fill with tiny pale dots. In a heavy infestation fine webbing strings across the shoot tips.
RHS lists spider mites among the pests it may attract. Heated rooms suit them: dry, warm air speeds each generation, and the damage builds within weeks.
Telling it apart: Where the damage starts. Mites stipple the whole leaf in fine dots; sun scorch bleaches the side facing the window.
RHS · read 13 September 2026Sticky leaves and immobile shell-like insects on the stems
The Swiss cheese vine is sticky to the touch and yellows slowly. Along the veins on the undersides sit small shell-like scales that lift off with a fingernail.
RHS 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.
RHS · read 13 September 2026Possible causes, likeliest first for a Swiss cheese vine
Most likely spider mites
Ranked higher because Swiss cheese vine's recorded problems point this way.
- Pale stippled leaves and tiny moving dots underneath: a mite pest RHS
Why: Spider mites feed on individual leaf cells, and each emptied cell shows as a pale speck.
What to try:
- Move the swiss cheese vine away from other plants.
- Wash the leaves, top and underside, with a strong spray of water in a shower or sink.
What would settle it: Hold a sheet of white paper under a leaf and tap the leaf. Tiny specks that move across the paper are mites.
Most likely scale insects
Ranked higher because Swiss cheese vine's recorded problems point this way.
- Sticky leaves and immobile shell-like insects on the stems RHS
Why: Scale insects settle in one place under a hard or waxy shell and feed on sap.
What to try:
- Move the swiss cheese vine 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 swiss cheese vine does not move.
Most likely mealybugs
Why: Mealybugs are soft insects that cover themselves in white wax, which gives the cottony look.
What to try:
- Move the swiss cheese vine 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.
Less likely for a Swiss cheese vine, still possible
Questions
- What usually causes pests on a Swiss cheese vine?
- For Swiss cheese vine: spider mites, scale insects and mealybugs.
- How can I tell which one it is on my Swiss cheese vine?
- 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 Swiss cheese vine's sources say about its pests and diseases?
- NC State Extension: Can be troubled by fern scale. RHS: Greenhouse red spider mite and scale insects can attack it. Disease is uncommon.
- What does this look like on a Swiss cheese vine?
- The leaf blades of the Swiss cheese vine lose their shine and fill with tiny pale dots. In a heavy infestation fine webbing strings across the shoot tips. Telling it apart: Where the damage starts. Mites stipple the whole leaf in fine dots; sun scorch bleaches the side facing the window.
- Is Swiss cheese vine safe to handle while I check it?
- Its sources list it as toxic to people. Wash your hands after handling the roots or sap, and keep trimmings away from pets.
Other plants that show pests
- No photograph yetHeartleaf philodendronPale stippled leaves and tiny moving dots underneath: a mite pest
Dumb caneHard, rounded scale on the undersides of the leaves
- No photograph yetArrowhead plantCurled, sticky new leaf blades with green or black insects: aphids
- No photograph yetLacy tree philodendronFine pale speckling on the leaf blades, then webbing at the tips: spider mites
Elephant earClusters of small soft insects on the shoot tips and buds: aphids
Something else wrong with the Swiss cheese vine?
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.