Common Snake Plant Pests (+ Solutions)
Snake plants are renown for their easy-to-care for persona, which makes them ideal indoor plants for new or busy plant parents. However, even the easiest plants in the world are susceptible to pests and diseases without proper support.
Snake plants are succulents, which means they have fleshy leaves that are heaven for common sap-sucking pests like spider mites, mealybugs, and thrips. Snake plants are also susceptible to being overwatered, opening them up to a range of fungal diseases (root rot) and pests that seek out moist environments, like fungus gnats. With a bit of know-how and guidance from us, you can quickly identify and treat for common snake plant pitfalls, and restore a happy, healthy plant.
Welcome to today’s feature article at the Garden Bench Top – Common Snake Plant Pests. You can expect to learn:
- a list of the top pests that you can find on your snake plant,
- identify when your plant has become infested, and
- how to treat an infected snake plant.
So grab a coffee because we’re about to throw some knowledge your way.
Latest Update
We received so many questions about common Snake Plant Diseases, we decided to move the entire section to a dedicated article. So if you suspect your sansevieria is infected with a disease jump on over to our dedicated guide.
Common Snake Plant Pests
Let’s begin with the little creepy crawlies that can invade your beautiful houseplant. Some of these are easy to see because they leave tell-tale marks on the plant. While some are less obvious, and like to hide in plain sight. But don’t worry – we’ll tell you how to find them and where to look.
Mealybugs and Snake plants
Mealy bugs are strange looking pests that look like they belong in the land before time.
They are small ancient looking bugs that have a white furry appearance. When they congregate into colonies, it looks like someone has attached cotton wool to various areas on your indoor plant. Traditionally, they like to hide on the underside of snake plant leaves. However, since healthy snake plants have tall vertical leaves, they will tend to gather around crevices or the base of your plant.
They feed on the sap of your snake plant, penetrating through the tough exterior with specialized equipment, and slowly draining all the plant’s nutrients from the leaf cells.
