Sounds like the dreaded mealy bug. If you only have a few, use a cotton swab dabbed in rubbing alcohol to remove them. I would isolate the plant from the rest of your collection for awhile to avoid spreading.

Denise in Omaha

Yep agree on mealy bugs.
Like Denise said apply 70% Rubbing Alcohol to them directly with a cotton swab if the infection is minor (a few single ones here and there) or spray it undiluted with a spray bottle if the infection is medium (try to avoid spraying the soil as much as possible). Heavy infestations may require the use of insecticides.
Manually remove the cottony structures as those are nests where the eggs are stored in (varies with mealy species). The eggs are not destroyed by the alcohol so re-inspect and re-apply treatment every 3-4 days.
The most common mealy species infecting house plants is the citrus mealy (slightly darker band going lengthwise on its back) and this one also sometimes infects the plant near or below soil level thus inspect your plant at and below soil level for possible infections. If the infection is below soil level then treatment with insecticides is recommended (or be ready to fight them for a long time :)

Milan

My Hoya has been on and off with this probelm. Today, I took it out of it's pot and completely housed the thing down until only the roots were left, with soil washed away. Will this help eradicate the probleM?

Well, this on going battle is finally nearing an end. I bought a soap and have kept it frequently outside, debugging, cleaning with hose, and so on. There are some battle scars, but hey, what doesn't kill him will make him stronger....or kill him later on!

When I start seeing them more than once on a particular hoya, I just insert one of those "Bayer House Plant Spikes" down into the soil, and it works systemically. It seems to eliminate them fine. I don't even bother with trying to inspect the leaves of my compacta now. Just keep up with the "spikes" treatments, and no worries. I get them at a nursery near here, but if you call around, you may be able to find them cheaper at a Lowes or HD. You can also use the other liquid Bayer product that has that ingredient, but I just find this simpler with no mess & mixing, or storing of big jugs of poisonous stuff.
Marcy

Marcy,

Where do you find the Bayer spikes? I have checked at Home Depot and Lowe's and have been unable to locate them. Any ideas? Sounds like a great idea. I have been using Bayer's ALL IN ONE Rose and Flower Care, but the spikes would be easier to use. Are they the size of the houseplant fertilier spikes I have seen in stores?

Deb

I found them at a nursery near here. Maybe if you call around to some near you. They remind me of tablets/pills. They have a grove down the center so they are easy to break in half for the smaller pots.
Marcy

Marcy and Everyone,
I contacted Bayer Advanced to find out where I could purchase the product called Bayer Advanced 2 in 1 spikes. The response I received was that they have been discontinued, so....if you can find them anywhere, buy them up.

Deb

Oh, man, that sucks! I finally hear of something I think I could use and they're discontinued?! It sounds much less harsh than dousing the soil with Marathon or some seriously poisonous chemical. Ah, well, there will never be any easy solutions to this problem I suppose... **sigh**

Denise in Omaha

Darn!! As my Momma used to say, "That's just a FINE how-do-you-do"!!
Marcy

Denise - the Bayer spikes and the Bayer liquid have the identical chemical in it - basically a synthetic variant of nicotine.