The Clear Signs Your Aloe Vera Plant Has A Pest Issue (& How To Save It Fast)

Aloe vera is a healing houseplant that can thrive with low levels of light. As succulents, aloes are fairly easy to take care of as long as you get the watering right. For this, you'll want to familiarize yourself with how often you should be watering your aloe vera plant. But as with other indoor plants, issues can crop up. It helps to spot problems early, so that you can remedy them fast. For instance, there are several signs to look out for that will indicate if your plant may have a pest issue. These include spots on leaves, leaf yellowing, visible evidence of pests, and stunted or unusual growth.

If your plant's leaves are exhibiting unusual spots, are going yellow, or even drooping, it's likely that you have a problem with sap-sucking insects such as aphids, mealybugs, or scale. These tiny insects are fairly easy to spot and get rid of. Another problem you might spot is pale or discolored areas on the leaves. This is most likely caused by red spider mites that feed on the chlorophyll. If you spot tiny insects flying around the base of your plant at soil level, you might have a problem with fungus gnats, which usually happens if you have overwater. Abnormal growth or distortions in your aloe vera plant may point to an issue with aloe gall mites, which feed on plant tissue but will rarely kill it.

If left unchecked for long enough, pests may eventually kill your plant, so treat problems as soon as you identify them. Aphids, scale, and mealybugs can usually be controlled by spraying the plant and pests with a mixture of equal parts of alcohol and water. If the problem is small enough, you can dip a cotton swab into the mixture and dab it onto the pests. Alternatively, you can use either insecticidal soap or something like neem oil to kill the pests. These remedies should also work on eliminating spider mites.

When dealing with pests like aloe gall mites, the first thing to do is cut away the distorted growth and dispose of any affected plant material. You then want to treat your plant with a miticide or insecticidal soap, getting good coverage when spraying your plant. To get rid of fungus gnats, it's best to take the plant out of the pot, remove the soil from around the roots, and repot the aloe into fresh soil. For these pests, prevention is usually better by letting the soil dry out between watering. While these problems are fairly easy to deal with, there are other common aloe plant issues that you might want to look out for.