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shasta marguerites: what eats the petals?

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giulia Sun 10-Apr-22 20:00:38

I have a large and permanent pot of these. They flower beautifully all through the winter but as the weather gets hotter
they start to deteriorate and something starts eating JUST the petals right down to the yellow centres. No slime so it isn't snails.

What could it be?

In the end, around end May, I cut them right down because they look so unsightly.

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fairfraise Sun 10-Apr-22 20:50:41

I grew them for years and they were always ignored by slugs and snails. So I can't help, but I'm sure someone will be along who knows! They are lovely flowers!

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Casdon Sun 10-Apr-22 22:40:17

It may be caterpillars, they do eat flower petals, or even aphids, although they cluster on the stems so you’d be able to see them. You could try spraying the plants with diluted washing up liquid?

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BlueBalou Mon 11-Apr-22 07:35:57

I think it’s tiny black pollen beetles, I had this last year.

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