What insect is it?

What insect eats petals and what can I do to kill it?

• My geraniums loved being outside the front window of my house. They've been thriving there for over two months now and I thought I'd finally found a winner (it's too hot for pansies and other daintier plants). Now they're getting eaten alive. I've heard of leaf-eaters, obviously, but I've never seen flowers bored into and devoured from the inside. Click to enlarge http://i.stack.imgur.com/8ATAb.jpg http://i.stack.imgur.com/hHIxJ.jpg What in the world is eating them? More importantly, what can I do to make things right with my poor friend the geranium by killing what ails her? (If geographic specificity helps, I'm in southern Nevada.)

• Answer:

  This is caused by the Geranium Budworm (aka Tobacco Budworm). Click http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_7488421_kill-budworms-geraniums.html for treatment. An excerpt, from the link: Spray some BT, or bacillus thuriengensis, over the affected areas of the plant. This natural insecticide will only harm caterpillars, including budworms. You will probably need several applications.