What's eating my snake plant?

Snake plants are tough but still susceptible to mealybugs and spider mites, especially in low-humidity homes. Fungus gnats are a risk when soil stays too wet. Overall pest pressure is low — good airflow, correct watering, and quarterly leaf wipe-downs keep most problems at bay.

White waxy fluff at leaf bases and in the crown; leaves become sticky and may yellow. Apply 70% isopropyl alcohol with a cotton swab directly to bugs; follow up with a neem oil drench at the soil surface and spray on leaves.

Faint stippling and silvery streaking on leaf surfaces, occasionally fine webbing near the growing tips. Wipe down leaves with a moist cloth; spray insecticidal soap or diluted neem oil every 7 days for 3 weeks.

Larvae chew fine roots, causing wilting; adults are nuisance fliers around the soil surface. Let soil dry out thoroughly between waterings; apply Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) drench or sticky yellow traps to break the cycle.