It is much easier to prevent pest or disease problems than to cure them, especially where African violets are concerned. Prevention begins with purchasing healthy plants and caring for them properly to increase their resistance to disease. The most common pests of African violets are spider mites, mealybugs and thrips. Because it is very tricky to cure a spider mite problem, it is often easier to simply throw out the infested plant.
Mealybugs are also difficult to destroy, as they tend to lodge in the crotches on the crown.
Take a cutting, using a healthy leaf, and throw out the mother plant. The same treatment is also appropriate for thrips infestations. You may also wish to try insecticidal soap. Springtails will sometimes appear on the soil if it is kept too damp or contains too much organic matter. Amateur growers who fail to care for their plants properly sometimes have problems with fungus diseases.