What's eating my villete's living stones?

Villete's Living Stones are compact succulents vulnerable to root mealybugs and the occasional surface mealybug hiding in the leaf fissure. Overwatering is far more likely to kill this plant than any pest, but pest pressure rises when drainage is poor. Inspect roots at every repotting.

White waxy coating on roots; plant shrivels despite correct watering schedule Unpot, remove all old soil, treat roots with neem or systemic insecticide drench, repot into gritty dry mix

Cottony white deposits visible in the central fissure between the paired leaf bodies Remove with alcohol-dipped cotton swab; isolate plant and repeat treatment weekly for a month

Larvae damage fine roots in overly moist soil; adult flies are a nuisance indicator of wet conditions Top-dress with coarse grit to deter egg-laying; use yellow sticky traps for adults; Bti drench for larvae