What's eating my rex begonia?

Rex Begonias grown indoors are targeted mainly by mealybugs, spider mites, and thrips. The ornate patterned foliage makes early pest damage harder to notice. Thrips rasp the leaf surface, leaving silvery streaks. Mealybugs shelter in the hairy leaf undersides. Fungus gnats thrive in the consistently moist soil Rex Begonias need.

White cottony masses in leaf crevices and where petioles meet the stem; honeydew and leaf yellowing Dab with isopropyl alcohol; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil spray weekly; isolate from other plants

Silvery-white streaks or stippling across leaf surface; distorted new leaves; tiny fast-moving insects visible Remove heavily affected leaves; spray with insecticidal soap or spinosad every 5–7 days; use blue sticky traps

Fine pale speckling and silvering of leaf surfaces; webbing visible on undersides in dry air Raise humidity; rinse plant; apply insecticidal soap or diluted neem oil on a weekly cycle

Larvae damage fine roots in moist peat-heavy mix; adult gnats hover at soil level Allow the top inch of soil to dry between waterings; use sticky yellow traps; apply Bti soil drench