What's eating my dionaea muscipula 'akai ryu'?

Dionaea muscipula 'Akai Ryu' (Red Dragon) is an all-red Venus flytrap cultivar with the same pest vulnerabilities as other flytraps. Aphids targeting stem and petiole tissue are the primary threat. Fungus gnats in wet substrate and spider mites in low humidity are secondary concerns.

Sap-sucking colonies on petioles and at the crown; deformed, stunted traps and yellowing of the red pigmentation in affected tissue. Submersion in distilled water for 24–48 hours is the safest initial treatment. Repeat weekly for a month. Use very dilute insecticidal soap on petioles only if infestation persists.

Larvae eat fine roots, causing the plant to lose vigour; small, weak traps; adults visible hovering around the peat surface. Drench substrate with Bti solution. Place yellow sticky traps nearby. Maintain tray water at no more than 1–2 cm to avoid permanently saturated substrate.

Fine webbing and pale stippling on petioles; in severe cases traps do not close fully; worsened by low indoor humidity. Boost humidity; rinse foliage with water. Apply dilute insecticidal soap if mite numbers are high. Avoid synthetic miticides — flytraps are sensitive to chemical residues.