Is this a pest?

[Kmiller]

Hello! I have an indoor star jasmine that has developed yellowing leaves and yellow leaf tips. I am very careful with how I water this plant. Recently I noticed tiny black spots on the underside of the leaves along with these sort of silvery/white patches. They're not sticky or raised.
What in the heck is it?

 

[Chuck]

I can't be for sure but it appears that the black spots are insect feces and the silvery patch is where a sucking insect has been feeding. Here in the US I would spray with a spinosad based insecticide but in Canada I don't know what insecticides you have.

 

[Kmiller]

I've given it two vigorous soaks with a mix of 33 ounces of water and 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap. I sprayed the crap out of it with a 2 day space in between. I do think there may have been a few aphids on the plant. Not many because i spritz it every day. But I haven't found anywhere that aphids leave this kind of foot mark.

 

[Chuck]

I've given it two vigorous soaks with a mix of 33 ounces of water and 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap. I sprayed the crap out of it with a 2 day space in between. I do think there may have been a few aphids on the plant. Not many because i spritz it every day. But I haven't found anywhere that aphids leave this kind of foot mark.

Do those black spots wipe off of the plant or smear when rubbed.

 

[Kmiller]

Neither.

 

[Kmiller]

I'm sorry! I just double checked that and they do rub off.

 

[Chuck]

If they rub off it is insect feces and probably from aphids which are now dead. I would wipe off all of the leaves and keep a close watch on them.

 

[Kmiller]

For the most part that is. There are a few that dont come off.

 

[Kmiller]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate this. And thanks for replying so quickly!

 

[Chuck]

For the most part that is. There are a few that dont come off.

The one's that don't come off are probably stuck in the tiny hole the insect left while feeding. I bet if you rubbed a little more vigorously they would come off. If it were insect eggs they would all be the same shape and size and when I put the picture under magnification they weren't

 

[Kmiller]

Whew! You're the best!

 

[cpp gardener]

I think you had/have thrips. Chuck is right that the black stuff is feces, the silvering is typical of thrips damage. I would use a general houseplant insecticide rather than dish soap- one's for insect control and the other is for dirty dishes. There is a reason you don't find dish soap in the garden section at Home Depot.