What's eating my shasta daisy?

Shasta daisy is susceptible to aphids clustering on stems and buds, earwigs sheltering in the flowers, and slugs attacking young foliage. Leaf miners may also tunnel through leaves. Plants grown in rich soil with poor airflow tend to have more pest problems. Dividing clumps every 2–3 years helps keep them vigorous and less attractive to pests.

Dense colonies on shoot tips, flower stems, and buds; leaves curl, growth is distorted, and honeydew residue attracts ants and sooty mould. Jet off with water; use insecticidal soap or neem oil; introduce ladybirds, lacewings, or parasitic wasps.

Petals chewed and damaged, especially on open flowers at night; can also nibble soft leaves near the soil surface. Set rolled damp newspaper traps near plants to collect earwigs by morning; handpick and dispose.

Holes chewed in foliage and young shoots at the base; seedlings and freshly planted divisions are particularly vulnerable. Apply ferric phosphate pellets around plants; handpick at night; use beer traps or copper barriers on pots.

Pale, winding tunnels visible within leaves as larvae eat the tissue between the upper and lower surfaces. Remove and destroy mined leaves promptly; encourage parasitic wasps; neem oil as a preventive spray on foliage.