What's eating my kniphofia 'bees' sunset'?

Kniphofia 'Bees' Sunset' produces warm orange-yellow spikes and shares the genus's main pest risks. Slugs and snails are the most damaging, attacking crowns and causing wet rot. Thrips streak the flower spikes in dry weather. Aphids and birds targeting nectar cause minor but noticeable damage. Crown protection and slug control are priorities.

Gnawing at the crown and leaf bases, introducing rot that can kill the plant in wet winters. Dress crowns with horticultural grit; apply ferric phosphate pellets in spring and autumn; improve drainage.

Silver-streaked, dull flower petals and foliage; worst during prolonged dry, warm spells. Water plants in drought; use sticky yellow traps to monitor; spray neem oil or insecticidal soap.

Colonies clustered on flower stems leaving honeydew and promoting sooty mold. Knock off with a strong jet of water; apply insecticidal soap; encourage beneficial insects.

Punctured tubular flowers with petals torn away as birds probe for nectar. Tolerate low-level damage; use fine mesh netting if loss of ornamental display is unacceptable.