Q: I think these are definitely not mealy bugs, but they’re very small dots of white on the tops and bottoms of my houseplant’s leaves, along with discolored spots on the bottoms. What are they?

A: Mealybugs and scale insects are very similar insects…mealybugs are just “fuzzier”.

Both attack a plant by attaching to a leaf and sucking sap from plant cells. Both are tough to control because their waxy covering repels most insecticides.

I think you have an infestation of one of the scale insects.

The easiest way to control them is by suffocation. Apply neem oil (click for sources) to both sides of a leaf (or leaves) to coat the insects and plug their breathing apparatus.

See Oil Insecticides