What's eating my curly endive 'frisee'?

Curly endive 'Frisee' is most frequently damaged by slugs and snails, which shred the delicate frilly leaves. Aphids shelter inside the dense curled growth, and leaf miners create visible tunnels in outer leaves. Its self-blanching curly centre reduces some exposure, but the outer leaves remain highly attractive to slugs.

Irregular ragged holes and slime trails on the frilly outer leaves; damage is particularly disfiguring given the leaf texture. Iron phosphate pellets; hand-pick at night; set beer traps at the base; maintain dry conditions around plant crowns.

Dense green colonies deep inside the curled leaf mass; honeydew and sooty mould make inner leaves sticky and unpalatable. Wash harvested heads thoroughly; apply insecticidal soap carefully into the leaf canopy; inspect before blanching if tying heads.

Pale winding tunnels visible on outer leaves; affected leaves look papery and are best removed before harvest. Use fine insect mesh; remove and bin (do not compost) mined leaves; avoid waterlogging which stresses plants and encourages secondary pests.