What's eating my aloinopsis luckhoffii?

Aloinopsis luckhoffii, a dwarf South African mesemb with a fleshy taproot grown as a houseplant, is most threatened by root mealybugs attacking its tuberous root. Above-ground mealybugs also lurk between the warty leaf rosettes. Fungus gnats can damage roots if the soil stays too wet between its required dry periods.

Rosettes shrivel and fail to recover after watering; white waxy coating discovered on the taproot at repotting. Unpot carefully, remove all soil from the taproot, rinse, treat with dilute systemic insecticide drench, dry, and repot in fresh gritty mix.

White cottony fluff at the base of the leaf rosette and between tightly packed leaves; slowed growth. Use a fine cotton swab dipped in 70% isopropyl alcohol to treat each colony; follow with neem oil spray; repeat weekly.

Root damage from larvae in overwatered soil; adult flies hovering around the pot are the first visible sign. Maintain strict dry-down intervals between waterings; apply a Bti soil drench; place sticky yellow traps to capture adults.