What's eating my echeveria 'neon breakers'?

Echeveria 'Neon Breakers' has frilly, deeply ruffled leaf margins that make excellent hiding spots for mealybugs, its number-one pest. Aphids may colonize new growth, and fungus gnats strike if soil stays too wet. Inspect the frilled edges carefully at each watering and treat early to prevent spread.

White cottony residue tucked into the ruffled leaf margins; plants look sticky and growth stalls. Use a cotton swab with 70% isopropyl alcohol to target each colony; spray the full rosette with neem oil weekly for 3–4 weeks.

Soft-bodied insects clustered on new growth and flower stalks; distorted or curled emerging leaves; sticky honeydew. Blast off with a gentle stream of water; apply insecticidal soap spray, repeating every 4–5 days until clear.

Larvae damage fine roots in overly moist soil; adults are a nuisance and can spread pathogens. Let soil dry out thoroughly between waterings; apply Bti drench; use sticky yellow traps to monitor adult populations.