What's eating my tea plant?

The tea plant (Camellia sinensis) shares pests with ornamental camellias but also attracts caterpillars and leafhoppers as an edible crop. Tea tortrix moth, aphids, and scale insects are most damaging. For edible use avoid systemic pesticides — use neem oil, insecticidal soap, or hand-picking instead.

Rolled or tied leaves sheltering caterpillars that skeletonise foliage from inside the roll Hand-pick leaf rolls and destroy; Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spray for edible-safe caterpillar control

White scale colonies on leaf undersides causing yellowing and stunted new flush Neem oil or insecticidal soap spray at crawler stage; safe for edible plants when applied before harvest flush

Colonies on young shoots curling leaves and excreting honeydew that promotes sooty mould Strong water spray; insecticidal soap; beneficial insects — avoid broad-spectrum insecticides on edible plants

Grubs destroy roots of container-grown plants; adults notch leaf margins at night Biological nematode soil drench (Steinernema kraussei) in late summer; physical barriers around pots