What are the tiny white spots on my rubber tree?

Question

I moved my rubber tree plant from indoors to out on our covered patio for the summer. I am noticing some tiny white spots on some of the leaves. I thought it might be whitefly but they are not powdery and don’t blow off. Any ideas?

Answer 1

It sounds like a pest infestation, like mealy bugs. Can you give us more detail about the spots? We can give more detailed remedies for the pest if we can figure out what it is for certain. In the meantime, treat the plant with a neem oil and keep it away from other plants to keep it from spreading.

These articles should also help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/mealybugs-white-residue-on-plants-leaves.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/pesticides/neem-oil-uses.htm