What's eating my drosera capensis 'alba'?

Drosera capensis 'Alba' is an indoor tropical sundew. Its sticky mucilage traps many small insects, but aphids — which crawl on stems and petioles beyond the glandular zone — are the main threat. Spider mites and fungus gnats can also cause problems, especially in low humidity or overly wet compost.

Soft, sap-sucking colonies on stems and petioles where mucilage is absent; leaves wilt and the plant declines as populations grow. Remove manually; rinse with room-temperature water weekly. Avoid broad-spectrum insecticides — dilute insecticidal soap applied very sparingly is the least-harmful chemical option.

Pale, speckled stippling on leaves; fine webbing visible between leaf stems in hot, dry conditions. Raise humidity; mist around (not on) the plant. Wipe with a damp cloth; use dilute insecticidal soap if severe. Weekly treatment for up to a month may be needed.

Larvae in the substrate feed on roots, causing yellowing and general decline; adults are a nuisance but cause less direct damage. Use yellow sticky traps to monitor adults. Apply a Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) soil drench to kill larvae. Avoid standing water in the tray beyond what the tray-watering method requires.