What's eating my colocasia tea cup?

Colocasia Tea Cup's cupped, water-collecting leaves create humid micro-pockets that spider mites love. Aphids and thrips also target the soft new growth. In outdoor beds, slugs and deer are the main threats. Check inside the cupped leaves regularly — pests hide there and are easily missed.

Webbing and stippling on leaf undersides and inside the cup; leaves bronze and dry out at margins Rinse inside cups with a directed water spray, then apply neem oil or insecticidal soap thoroughly

Clusters on stems and young leaves; honeydew inside the leaf cup can promote fungal growth Blast off with water; apply insecticidal soap, ensuring coverage inside the cup

Silver-streaked or bronzed patches on leaf surfaces; tiny dark frass specks visible on inspection Remove heavily infested leaves; apply spinosad or insecticidal soap; yellow sticky traps monitor populations

Holes in the leaf blade and damage to the cup rim; slime trails visible in morning Use iron-phosphate slug pellets at the base; hand-pick at night; reduce standing water in cups