What's eating my begonia 'non-stop rose'?

Tuberous begonias like 'Non-Stop Rose' are prone to vine weevil (especially in pots), aphids on flower buds, thrips causing silvery petal streaks, and caterpillars outdoors. The fleshy tuber makes vine weevil grub damage particularly devastating. Check roots when plants wilt unexpectedly.

Adult beetles notch leaf edges; larvae eat the tuber, causing rapid wilting and plant death. Apply nematodes (Steinernema kraussei) to compost in late summer; inspect tubers when lifting in autumn and destroy grubs.

Soft colonies on buds and new growth; sticky honeydew leads to sooty mold and malformed flowers. Use insecticidal soap spray or neem oil; introduce aphid predators if growing under glass.

Silvery streaking and speckling on petals and leaves; tiny dark frass visible on flowers. Remove heavily infested flowers; spray with spinosad or insecticidal soap; use sticky yellow traps to monitor.

Irregular holes in leaves and petals from feeding larvae, especially in outdoor beds. Hand-pick larvae; apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray to foliage as a targeted biological control.