What's eating my pelargonium x domesticum 'burgundy'?

Pelargonium x domesticum 'Burgundy' (regal geranium) is most commonly troubled by aphids on its tender new shoots and buds. Vine weevil is highly damaging to container-grown plants. Whitefly can colonize leaf undersides rapidly in warm or sheltered spots. Caterpillars may bore into buds and reduce flower display.

Clusters on shoot tips and flower buds; sticky honeydew, sooty mold, and distorted growth Spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap; pinch off heavily infested tips; encourage aphid predators such as ladybugs and lacewings

Scalloped notches on leaf margins; root-eating grubs cause sudden collapse of apparently healthy plants Apply pathogenic nematodes (Steinernema kraussei) to moist compost in late summer; treat container compost preventively each growing season

Tiny white insects on leaf undersides; honeydew drips onto lower leaves, encouraging sooty mold Use yellow sticky traps; apply insecticidal soap or pyrethrin; in a greenhouse, introduce Encarsia formosa biological control

Holes in buds and petals; frass inside or around flower heads; buds fail to develop fully Inspect and hand-pick caterpillars from buds; apply Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) spray if infestations recur