What's eating my pink butterflies kalanchoe?

Pink Butterflies Kalanchoe is particularly prone to mealybugs because its dense mass of tiny plantlets along leaf margins creates countless hiding spots. Aphids can colonise flower stems. Fungus gnats thrive if soil stays wet. Inspect every plantlet cluster carefully — mealybug colonies can build up unnoticed until the infestation is severe.

White cottony deposits hidden beneath the marginal plantlets; affected growth is stunted and sticky Dab individually with isopropyl alcohol on a fine brush; spray the whole plant with neem oil fortnightly

Clusters of small soft insects on flower stems and buds; sticky honeydew and sooty mould develop Remove manually or with a directed water jet; follow up with insecticidal soap spray

Adults hover near the soil; larvae feed on roots and cause wilting in young or recently repotted plants Reduce watering frequency; apply a Bti soil drench and use yellow sticky traps to catch adults