What's eating my aloe vera 'chinese'?

Aloe vera 'Chinese' shares the pest profile of all aloe vera types indoors: mealybugs and scale are the primary threats, with fungus gnats appearing if the soil stays too wet. Overwatering is the bigger killer, but mealybugs are the most common true pest, colonising leaf axils quickly.

White fluffy deposits at the base of leaves and in the rosette centre; leaves turn yellow and soft with heavy infestations Dab colonies with isopropyl alcohol; spray the whole plant with diluted neem oil weekly; remove heavily infested leaves; isolate from other plants

Small brown waxy shells on leaf surfaces; sticky honeydew; leaves yellow and growth slows Scrape off manually; apply neem oil or insecticidal soap spray; repeat every 7–10 days for a month

Larvae damage roots in wet soil; adult gnats are a nuisance; seedlings and young offsets most at risk Allow soil to dry fully between waterings; apply Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) drench or use yellow sticky traps; top-dress with coarse grit