Pest identification
What's eating my dahlia 'hollyhill black beauty'?
Slugs and snails
Signs: Holes in leaves, gnawed stems, and consumed emerging shoots; worst in wet spring weather.
Control: Ferric phosphate pellets at planting; copper barriers; nighttime hand-picking with torchlight.
Earwigs
Signs: Petals nibbled from inside the densely petalled ball blooms; insects shelter in the flower core.
Control: Set straw-stuffed upturned pot traps on canes; inspect and clear each morning.
Aphids
Signs: Colonies on dark shoot tips easily missed; sticky honeydew; reduced vigour and bud quality.
Control: Inspect weekly; spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil; water jet dislodges colonies.
Keep dahlia 'hollyhill black beauty' pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Dahlia 'Hollyhill Black Beauty' pests — FAQ
What is eating my dahlia 'hollyhill black beauty'?
Dahlia 'Hollyhill Black Beauty', a dark ball dahlia, faces the standard dahlia pest lineup: slugs on new growth, earwigs in the dense blooms, and aphids on shoot tips. Its deep-maroon colouring can make early aphid infestations harder to spot, so weekly inspection of stem tips is important.
How do I get rid of slugs and snails on dahlia 'hollyhill black beauty'?
Holes in leaves, gnawed stems, and consumed emerging shoots; worst in wet spring weather. Ferric phosphate pellets at planting; copper barriers; nighttime hand-picking with torchlight.
How do I get rid of earwigs on dahlia 'hollyhill black beauty'?
Petals nibbled from inside the densely petalled ball blooms; insects shelter in the flower core. Set straw-stuffed upturned pot traps on canes; inspect and clear each morning.
How do I get rid of aphids on dahlia 'hollyhill black beauty'?
Colonies on dark shoot tips easily missed; sticky honeydew; reduced vigour and bud quality. Inspect weekly; spray with insecticidal soap or neem oil; water jet dislodges colonies.