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
AlocasiaFine pale speckling on the leaves, then webbing at the tips: spider mites
Arrowhead plantCurled, sticky new leaf blades with green or black insects: aphids
Dumb caneHard, rounded scale on the undersides of the leaves
Elephant earClusters of small soft insects on the shoot tips and buds: aphids
Heartleaf philodendronPale stippled leaves and tiny moving dots underneath: a mite pest
Lacy tree philodendronFine pale speckling on the leaf blades, then webbing at the tips: spider mites
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.