First it helps to look closely and figure out whether it is spider mites, aphids, scale, or what. Aphids look like little teeny bugs; spider mites spin teensy cobwebs, esp. where leaves attach to twigs or twigs attach to branches; scale looks like little "limpets" attached to twigs and branches and leaves, and may be hard to distinguish from an anatomical feature of the plant.
If it is scale, the first thing to do is remove alllllll the ones you can see (yes, checking over every inch of every branch and twig and leaf) by squooshing them gently off with your finger or a piece of rag.
Then, once you've done that or if you have determined it is actually spider mites or aphids, you have two choices: a) you can test some insecticidal soap (BUY it, do not try to make it, the homemade is hard on plants) on a few leaves, wait three or four days, then if those leaves still seem ok treat the whole plant with emphasis on the UNDERSIDES of the leaves, repeat every few weeks; or b) if you want the even more organic, but harder, way, you can mash some newspaper over the soil atop the pot, tie the pot up tight in a plastic bag (your goal is to make it spillproof even when upside down), then go wash the plant in the shower in cool (not cold, not hot) water, gently massaging each twig and leaf to clean the buggies off it. Repeat as needed.
Any of these things that make the sticky honeydew that grows the sooty mold can be rather hard to get rid of, so do not be lulled into a false sense of complacency, keep re-checking, re-treat as needed.
Good luck, have fun,
Pat
