What's eating my aloe tomentosa?

Aloe tomentosa, a compact woolly-leaved houseplant aloe, is most vulnerable to mealybugs that hide among its dense leaf hairs. Scale and root mealybugs can also appear. The textured foliage makes detection harder — inspect carefully along the leaf bases and soil line regularly.

White waxy fluff nestled in leaf crevices and among hairs; sap loss causes wilting and yellow patches Apply rubbing alcohol with a cotton swab directly to colonies; follow with neem oil spray; repeat weekly for a month; isolate the plant

Wilting and slow decline despite adequate watering; white powdery coating visible on roots when repotted Remove plant from pot; rinse roots thoroughly; soak in neem oil solution; repot into fresh well-draining mix; discard old soil

Hard or soft bumps along leaf margins and undersides; honeydew and sooty mold may develop Manually remove with a toothbrush dipped in soapy water; treat with horticultural oil spray every 7–10 days