What's eating my sansevieria hahnii?

Sansevieria Hahnii (the bird's nest snake plant) is tough but susceptible to the classic indoor pest trio: spider mites in dry air, mealybugs deep in the leaf rosette where control is difficult, and scale insects on the thick leaves. Fungus gnats breed in wet soil. Mealybugs hiding at the centre of the rosette are the hardest to eliminate.

White cottony deposits at the base of leaves and deep inside the rosette; leaves yellow and growth stalls. Dab every visible mealybug with a cotton swab soaked in isopropyl alcohol; repeat every 7–10 days for several weeks.

Fine pale stippling on leaf surfaces; webbing may appear at leaf bases in very dry indoor air. Wipe leaves with a damp cloth; raise humidity; apply neem oil spray to all leaf surfaces and the soil surface.

Brown or tan waxy bumps adhered to leaf surfaces; sticky honeydew drips below the plant. Scrape off scale with a soft toothbrush; treat with neem oil or horticultural oil; repeat fortnightly for two months.

Larvae in soggy compost damage roots; adults swarm around the pot when the plant is overwatered. Always allow soil to dry completely between waterings (snake plants are drought-tolerant); apply Bti drench if larvae are confirmed.