Aphids on heartleaf philodendron
How do I get rid of aphids?
On heartleaf philodendron: Clusters of soft insects on the newest growth, with sticky honeydew. Rinse them off, pinch out the worst tip, then insecticidal soap weekly for three weeks.
Clusters of soft green, black or pink insects on the newest growth and flower buds, thickest right at the growing tip. Sticky honeydew below them, and often distorted or curled new leaves.
Why this plant gets them
it grows fast and aphids feed on soft new growth, so a fast grower offers them a continuous supply of exactly what they want.
Drawn from this species' own record — humidity floor 40%, watering every 7–12 days, trailing habit. Full care entry.
The life cycle, and why one treatment fails
Indoors they reproduce without mating and give birth to live young, so a population doubles in days from a single individual. There is no egg stage to wait out.
What actually clears them
Knock them off with a firm rinse first. Insecticidal soap weekly for three weeks handles the rest. Because they concentrate on new growth, pinching out the worst-affected tip removes a large fraction of the population in one cut.
Ladybirds indoors, which fly to the nearest window and die there. Also companion planting, which has no meaningful effect in a pot on a windowsill.
What Missouri Botanical Garden records for this species
No serious insect or disease problems. Watch for aphids, spider mites, mealybugs and scale. Leaf spots may occur. Root rot can occur in overly moist soils.
Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder — Philodendron hederaceum. Checked 2026-09-11.
Other pests recorded for this species
- Mealybugs this week
Is it a pest at all?
Plenty of what looks like pest damage is a care problem. If you cannot actually find the insect described above, check the diagnosis pages for this species instead — yellow leaves, leggy growth, root rot — where the causes are ranked for this plant specifically.
Aphids on other species here
24 other species in this database have aphids recorded against them. The treatment is the same; only the reason they are prone differs.
- Peace lily Araceae
- Spider plant Asparagaceae
- English ivy Araliaceae
- Wax plant Apocynaceae
- Arrowhead vine Araceae
- Inch plant Commelinaceae
- Flaming Katy Crassulaceae
- Burro’s tail Crassulaceae
Sources
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder — Philodendron hederaceum Pest and disease record for this species. Checked 2026-09-11.
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — Philodendron hederaceum Extension pest guidance.
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — Philodendron hederaceum Accepted name and family. Checked 2026-09-11.
- This database's own care record for Philodendron hederaceum — the humidity, watering and habit fields this page reasons from.
Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Treatment guidance is the standard approach for this pest and is not specific to
your plant's condition. If a plant is already collapsing, the pest may not be the
whole story. How this is sourced.