What's eating my agave guiengola?

Agave guiengola is a large, bluish-white powdery agave grown as a striking houseplant or conservatory specimen. Its main pests are scale insects and mealybugs settling into the broad leaf axils. The pale waxy coating can camouflage white mealybugs, so check carefully at the base of each leaf every few weeks.

White cottony fluff at leaf bases that can blend with the plant's natural glaucous coating; stunted growth Identify by touching (pest is soft and mobile, wax is firm); dab with alcohol swabs; apply neem oil drench

Brown or grey bumps on leaves and stems; honeydew and sooty mold appear as populations build Remove with a soft brush and alcohol; spray with horticultural oil; repeat every two weeks

Unexplained wilting or stalled growth in an otherwise healthy-looking plant; waxy residue on roots Unpot, clean roots, soak briefly in neem oil solution, and repot in fresh dry succulent mix