What's eating my faucaria lupina?

Faucaria lupina (wolf jaws) is an indoor succulent whose toothed leaves can trap mealybugs along their margins and in the rosette centre. Root mealybugs are the hidden threat. Spider mites emerge in hot, dry air. Aphids occasionally attack fresh growth. Keeping the rosette dry overhead and inspecting the leaf teeth regularly prevents most infestations.

White cottony masses caught on the toothed leaf margins and in the central rosette; sticky, weakened growth Remove with alcohol-dipped cotton swabs, paying attention to the teeth; apply neem oil or insecticidal soap to the rosette base and soil

Plant wilts or fails to plump despite correct watering; powdery white deposits on roots when inspected Unpot the plant, treat the root zone with an imidacloprid drench or diluted alcohol rinse, and repot in fresh gritty mineral compost

Fine silvery stippling between leaf teeth; faint webbing in very arid indoor conditions Improve air circulation around the plant; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil spray; relocate away from hot, dry heat sources

Soft clusters on new growth and flower buds; curled new leaves and sticky honeydew Blast off with a gentle stream of water; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil; a single treatment usually resolves light infestations