What's eating my alocasia melo?

Alocasia melo, prized for its rugged, deeply textured leaves, is most threatened indoors by spider mites, which thrive in dry conditions, and by mealybugs hiding in its dense ribbing. Thrips and scale insects also appear. Inspect leaf undersides weekly and keep humidity above 50% to deter mites.

Fine silvery stippling and webbing on leaf undersides; leaves look dusty and dull Raise humidity, mist or rinse foliage regularly, and apply insecticidal soap or diluted neem oil every 7 days until clear.

White cottony masses in the deep ridges and leaf joints; sticky honeydew on surfaces below Dab colonies with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab, then follow up with neem oil spray weekly for a month.

Silver-streaked or bronzed patches on new leaves; tiny dark frass visible on undersides Isolate the plant, remove badly affected leaves, and treat with spinosad or insecticidal soap every 5–7 days for three rounds.

Hard brown or tan bumps on stems and midribs; sticky residue and yellowing above Scrape off with a soft brush, then treat with horticultural oil every 10–14 days until no live scale remains.