What's eating my cosmos bipinnatus 'sensation white'?

Cosmos 'Sensation White' is generally a low-maintenance annual but aphids are the most consistent pest, massing on lush new growth. Caterpillars and earwigs chew petals and leaves. Aphids also attract ants that farm them and interfere with predator control. Deer find cosmos palatable and can devastate a planting overnight.

Dense colonies on shoot tips and flower stems; sticky honeydew, distorted leaves, sooty mould. Spray with insecticidal soap or diluted neem oil; encourage hoverflies and lacewings; blast off with water jets.

Ragged holes in petals and leaves; buds eaten before opening; frass visible on damaged tissue. Apply Bt spray at first sign; handpick larger caterpillars; check undersides of leaves for eggs and small larvae.

Whole plants browsed to stubs overnight; torn, irregular stem edges typical of deer feeding. Apply deer repellent regularly; use motion-activated sprinklers; fence beds or inter-plant with deer-resistant species.