What's eating my aloe vera?

Aloe vera's main indoor pest threat is mealybugs, which hide deep in the rosette between succulent leaves. Scale occasionally appears on older leaves; fungus gnats follow wet soil. Aloe's dense rosette makes infestations easy to miss — pull leaves apart gently during routine care to check for cottony deposits at the base.

White woolly clusters deep between leaves near the base; leaves may develop yellow or brown spots and feel hollow. Dab each bug with isopropyl alcohol; apply neem oil drench at soil level and spray into the rosette. Repeat every 7–10 days.

Hard brown bumps on leaf surfaces; older leaves show yellowing and the plant looks generally stressed. Scrape off manually, then treat with horticultural oil spray; repeat in two weeks and check again after a month.

Larvae feed on roots; adults fly up when the soil is disturbed — a sign the soil is staying too wet. Allow soil to dry fully between waterings; apply Bti drench and use yellow sticky traps to capture adults.