What's eating my drosera burmanni?

Drosera burmanni is a fast-growing tropical sundew kept as a compact houseplant. Fungus gnats are the most frequent problem in its warm, wet growing medium. Mealybugs occasionally infest the rosette base. The bright-red trap leaves actively catch fungus gnats and small flies, which provides some natural reduction — but heavy gnat populations still overwhelm the plant's defensive trapping.

Larvae damage roots in the moist tropical medium; adult gnats are partly caught by the traps but populations in the soil can still overwhelm the plant. Use yellow sticky traps; the plant's own traps will catch some adults. Drench medium with Bti solution to kill larvae. Keep the water tray clean and refresh regularly.

Cottony white deposits at the centre of the rosette and on petioles; sticky honeydew on nearby surfaces. Apply isopropyl alcohol with a fine cotton swab to each mealybug cluster. Spray with dilute insecticidal soap avoiding the sticky trap leaves. Quarantine from other plants.

Pale stippling on leaves; reduced mucilage production on traps; fine webbing under low-humidity indoor conditions. Keep humidity high (60–80%). Rinse foliage with distilled water spray. Apply neem oil to undersides of leaves every 5–7 days until clear.