What's eating my baby tears (pilea)?

Baby Tears Pilea is most troubled by fungus gnats, whose larvae damage the shallow roots kept moist for this plant. Spider mites and mealybugs also attack. The dense, trailing mat of tiny leaves creates humid micro-conditions that favour fungus gnat breeding and, if air circulation is poor, occasional aphid colonies.

Tiny dark flies hover around the soil surface; larvae chew fine roots, causing sudden wilting and yellowing of stems Let the top 2–3 cm of soil dry between waterings; apply a layer of coarse sand or perlite over the surface; use yellow sticky traps to monitor; drench with Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) if infestation persists

Fine stippling on leaves, webbing visible in leaf axils; foliage yellows and drops when heavily infested Increase humidity; remove visible webbing and mist the plant; spray with diluted neem oil or insecticidal soap weekly for 3–4 weeks

White cottony clusters at stem joints and undersides of leaves; sticky honeydew and sooty mould follow Dab individual colonies with a cotton swab dipped in 70% isopropyl alcohol; follow up with insecticidal soap spray; isolate the plant immediately