Thank you, Susan! I believe you're right--or, if it ISN'T that, it's like an identical twin. :) That's definitely the closest match I've seen. Thanks again.

I wouldn't worry one bit. Aloes generally respond well to root pruning, especially if you are about to put them in the ground. Waiting a couple days for the roots to callous pretty much guarantees you'll be safe. Also, right now is basically the perfect time to be planting Aloes in SoCal, and probably any other 9b parts of Cali. This is their growth season, and the late winter rains will help them get established. So at least to me, it sounds like you are doing everything just right. Well, except one thing: you didn't post any pictures! ;-) Maybe once you've got it in the ground you can post a picture of your new Aloe...

Can you see where the ants are going? It isn't impossible to imagine they are feeding on the nectar, but if that were the case, there should be a pretty clear "stream" of ants up the inflorescence. In regards to NEEM, I've never had any luck treating outbreaks of root-mealies with pesticides of any sort. I either completely remove the soil from the roots, wash them off with a hose spray, and let it dry for a few days, or just toss the plant into the compost bin. In my personal experience, mealies (farmed or otherwise) usually infest plants that already have some kind of health problem. In particular, *under-watering* seems to invite a mealie infestation. I really, really hate ants. They cause me so much grief in the garden. Between a freakish collective intelligence, and essentially an infinite supply of workers, they are an unbeatable enemy. The only long term solution I've found to ants is to prevent access. I have most of my plants on racks, so I put that sticky "Tarfoot" stuff around each leg so they can't access my plants to begin with. But you have to stay vigilant. A single fallen branch can be enough of a bridge to let the little devils try and take over a whole rack of plants!

Thank you cactusmcharris and rosemariero6. I will post a photo of it - if and when it flowers.