What's eating my begonia 'looking glass'?

Begonia rex 'Looking Glass', grown as a houseplant, is most threatened by mealybugs sheltering in its leaf crevices and by spider mites in dry air. The silvery metallic foliage can also mask early thrips damage. Mealybugs are the biggest indoor threat — they spread rapidly and are difficult to eliminate once established.

Waxy white clusters at leaf bases and petioles; leaves yellow and plant growth slows. Remove manually with an alcohol-dipped swab; apply neem oil spray to all surfaces every 7 days for a month.

Fine pale speckling on the metallic leaf surface; delicate webbing between leaves in dry conditions. Mist foliage to raise humidity; spray neem oil or insecticidal soap thoroughly on leaf undersides; repeat every 5 days.

Silvery streaks or faint scarring on leaf surface — easily overlooked on the patterned foliage. Apply spinosad spray or neem oil; use blue sticky traps to monitor; isolate the plant immediately upon detection.