Page 34 - may2021

Agrichemist’s solutions

ALOE PROBLEMS - snout beetle & scale
After a good rainy season, or a windy one, I find snout beetles can become a big problem
for my aloes, mostly because the rains and winds blow leaves down from the trees, which
cover the growing centre of most stemless aloes. When this happens snout beetles can
happily lay their eggs and the larvae will bore down into the stem where eventually the aloe
will rot and die. Most aloe growers will use a systemic insecticide like Imidacloprid, but for
a couple of years now, I have watched the cycle and know more or less when I will see signs
of snout beetle attack - which is usually always between March and May. The centre of the
aloe will look black and rotten. What I do then, is I cut beneath the leaves - as you can see
in the picture opposite which has been cut off the main aloe stem. I go about an inch down,
if I see the larvae (white maggots, pic below left), then I cut lower again until I can see no
larvae or damage to the stem beneath. I feed the cut aloe piece which is full of larvae to
my chickens, and slowly the aloe begins to regrow. See the pic (below right) of a recovering
spotted aloe.

If an aloe is planted in the right place with enough water and the right soil, then usually
scale is never a problem.
However as gardens grow, they get shadier, and the right place slowly becomes the wrong
one. And for whatever reason your aloe begins to develop scale. It is one of the simplest
problems to treat, so long as you catch it early. All you need to do is wet a cloth with water
and wipe the scale away. However sometimes you have a large aloe garden and might prefer
not to get too close to the prickly leaves, in that case, make a solution of soapy water, add in
some methylated spirits and spray the leaves. This method is less effective as the scale will
dry and die on the leaf, still blocking the leaf from photosynthesizing, and it will not manage
to get rid of 100% of the scale either. The least environmentally friendly method will of
course be to buy a systemic insecticide like Imidacloprid, and results in the same problem of
still needing to wipe the leaf to clear the insects off. If left untreated scale can kill your aloe,
and will spread to neighbouring plants too. Text & Photos by S.C
34