Sevin dust will do nothing, Mara, for Aloe cancer, but the Cygon worked for me - fortunately, it worked on the one plant I had to treat.

CG, if you've never used organophosphate-based insecticides before, follow all the directions - I can't stress that enough.

I guess I'm not seeing what you're seeing, but all I see is the remnants of a rotted head, not anything else. AC certainly doesn't look like what you've got pictured, however.

That was info that I got from the scons of Xeric world.
http://www.xericworld.com/forums/aloeaceae/2630-aloe-mite-fear.html
here is another thread
http://www.xericworld.com/forums/pests-disease/1568-aloe-pests-treatments-other-tidbits.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Fear of Aloe mite

Actually the part that looks like it might be infected is the pimply part. You can have one part infected and another part clean. There was a regimen for killing off the pest on xeric world that I saved:

"Wiping out aloe mite in larger specimens is easily accomplished with systemics, especially with Cygon. Sevin is also an excellent miticide, but do be wary of using the powdered form in the crowns of good plants, as with Tim's experience, it can cause damage. However, using the liquid form does not.

On rare plants, especially those that rarely (never?) offset, letting the mites get a good foothold and producing an abundance of abnormal growth� and then treating with Sevin or Cygon or any other miticide will not only rid the plant of the mite problem, the undisturbed (not excised) area(s) will convert from a mass of warty tissue to one of several desired offsets. I have done this with several species and it has worked well on all. I now have a seven-headed Aloe comosa (endangered) specimen in my yard.

And yes, Aloe reitzii is also susceptible to mite attacks. I have a two headed form of this taxon as a result of treatment for aloe mite.
...

Eriophyid mites can migrate plant to plant via wind. However, as we discovered with our trial, often there is still monstrose growth occurring after no mite can be detected! This is due to the auxin like material that continues to systematically cause monstrose growth. We are not sure how long that can continue after the plant is no longer inhabited by the mite. We have also seen subterranean offsets heavily infested by the mite.
Other materials that are efficacious for Eriophyids are Kontos (spirotetramat), Judo (spiromefisin) and Avid (abamectin).

Auxin signalling goes all the way down to the DNA transcription level, and so can persist for weeks once started."

I would for sure seal up that infected-appearing rosette and throw it in the trash. If the aloe is rare, I would isolate and try and save it, but if it is common I would just throw out the entire thing and buy a new one. Easy for me to say, they are relatively cheap here, cheaper than Cygon & etc.

Thanks, all, for the feedback. I've cut off the infested part, and the 3 remaining healthy-looking aloes are separated from the rest of the plants.

It's an Aloe 'Walmsley's Blue' - not rare by any definition I know of.

My bigger worry is whether or not the mite can infest the other plants. I have one other aloe, a 'Blue Elf,' in the collection I had intended to send to Erin; but all the others are other types of succulents: a gollum, a sedum, a kalanchoe, an alworthia, and an opuntia. Still looking up info.

I'm less worried about the monetary loss, and more upset about potentially not being able to mail Erin that box of big, beautiful smiles.


*CG*

Probably best NOT to send it, it really is the larger gift.

Ya know, I'm not convinced its Aloe mite either. Maybe its just the picture or my eyes, lol. It looks like simple rot to me. I would quarantine the chosen plants until spring and see if its an infestation of something before sending it.

Does anyone know if this mite is a warm climate pest? I've never had it and the pictures of mites online seem to be in those hot areas.

Denise
PS What is this Xeric World you speak of...?

It is aloe mite.. And Aloe Walmsley's (all of them, blue, gold, etc.) are the most susceptible to this mite of all the aloes I think. But it is easy to tear apart the infected parts and toss them. The rest will probably be OK. Mites don't crawl about, so infection on part of plant does not necessarily mean it will show up anywhere else... but it does mean the mites are about. You have a lot of other aloes? If so, keep watch and at the first signs of spread, hack off those sections immediately. Cygon will kill the mite, but frankly, once the infection is noted, the damage is done and the mite is probably on its way out already. Just about anything kills these mites (save Imidacloprid- useless for mites), but the reason the infections are such a pain is that they have usually spread by the time infection is noted. Rarely does the infection get bad enough to kill the plant, but it is ugly and damaging.

Systemic pesticides and excision are the only way to deal with the mites because they live in the tissue in galls. Some hybrids and species are less susceptible to infestation than others so are well worth looking out for. Cutting away the infected part and using systemics or discarding the entire plant are the only choices. Plants are often unaffected and can grow through an infestation but heavy suckering and uncharacteristic growth are often the result. The abnormal growth continues even after the affected parts are removed, this is due to hormones secreted by the larva of the mite. The galls themselves even without a living mite are unsightly and remain unless cut out. Be aware, systemics can be lethal to the plant and some have no affect as they're effective only for particular insects often excluding spiders. The Aloe mite is in the spider family. Test the systemic on a control plant first. I have used Dimethoate with success but have also killed a few trying other systemics!!?? Due to the toxic nature of these pesticides on ourselves and the environment I now just excise the affected tissue and burn or destroy the whole plant, selecting replacement resistant cultivars.