What's eating my echeveria harmsii?

Echeveria harmsii (ruby slippers echeveria) has elongated leaves with red tips and velvety hair, making mealybug infestations easy to miss. Mealybugs are the primary pest threat. Vine weevil grubs attack the root zone undetected. Spider mites can appear in hot, dry indoor conditions. Inspect every leaf axil carefully and act at the first sign of woolly deposits.

Cottony white clusters between hairy leaves and at stem joints; sticky honeydew, wilting and poor growth Target colonies precisely with an alcohol-soaked cotton swab; follow up with a neem oil spray every 7–10 days; avoid saturating the velvety leaves

Root system eaten from below; plant wilts and detaches from soil with no viable roots Apply nematodes (Steinernema kraussei) in autumn; hand-remove grubs found during repotting; use a free-draining gritty mix to deter egg-laying adults

Pale stippling and fine webbing on leaf surfaces, particularly in warm and dry indoor conditions Increase air humidity slightly; wipe accessible leaf surfaces; apply insecticidal soap or diluted neem oil spray; repeat weekly for 3–4 weeks