White Specks on Your Succulent Aren't Always Aphids
White specks on succulents aren't always aphids. Use position, movement, and residue to tell aphids from mealybugs, scale, thrips, and spider mites.
Pest Problems
Pest-specific identification, damage-pattern cues, and treatment options for common succulent pests.
The Pest That Yellows Succulent Leaves From Below the Soil
Yellowing with no watering change usually means root mealybugs or scale feeding below the soil. How to check the root ball, read the wax, and treat.
The Fungus Gnat Life Cycle Stage That Keeps Them Coming Back
Eggs hatch in 3 to 6 days, larvae feed for 10 to 14, pupae rest for 4 to 6. Here's the repeat schedule that ends fungus gnats in succulent pots for good.
Aphids on Your Succulent? The Order That Saves the Plant
Aphids on a succulent aren't solved by a product. Confirm the colony, match removal to the leaf surface and light, then verify clean growth before it returns.
White Fuzz on Succulent? It May Be Mealybugs, Not Mold
White cottony spots on a succulent are usually mealybugs or scale, not mold. Isolate the plant, remove the insects by hand, and treat at label rates.
Fungus Gnats or Fruit Flies? Identifying Flies on Succulents
Learn to tell fungus gnats from fruit flies, whiteflies, and shore flies on succulents by where they stand, how they fly, and the shape of the adult.
Spider Mite Eggs Survive the First Spray, Plan the Second
One spray kills the adults and leaves the eggs. Here's the repeat interval, why temperature sets it, and how many rounds to keep going after the last mite.
The Scale Stage That Determines If Treatment Works
Scale treatment fails when you spray adults. Hit the crawler window instead: how to find it with tape, time the second application, and know when to stop.
Four Steps to Eliminate Fungus Gnats from Succulent Pots
Dry the top inch, trap the adults, drench with Bti, and repeat on the gnat life cycle. A four-week schedule that treats every succulent pot at once.