Question
My hanging pothos is on the counter.  It does not get direct sunlight although there is a lot of light in the room.  The air conditioning keeps the room pleasant.  Flying around the pothos are the tiniest fruit-like flies I have ever seen.  Do you know what they are and why they are around the plant?

Thank you!

Answer
Dear Marian,

I wonder if these insects are thrips which are tiny and black or whitefly which are, unsurprisingly white.

Whitefly like to suck the sap from the plant and deposit a sticky substance known as honeydew.

Once you have established which they are you can buy an insecticide and follow the instructions on the box/bottle.

I have two pothos at home, one indoors and one on a balcony where it gets lots of light and some sunshine - neither have any insects around them [Sod's law that when I go to check them now they will have insects!!] so I can only suggest that it could be either of the two described above.  Why do insects attack any plant?  Because they like the taste.

If your plant is small enough to handle I would try washing the leaves if they are sticky, check the soil for insects and perhaps put on a fresh layer of compost on the top, spray the plant with tepid water occasionally to keep the air moist and the leaves dust free and of course feed it during the spring and summer.

I do hope you manage to rid your plant of these insects.

Diana