What's eating my drosera intermedia?

Drosera intermedia, the oblong-leaved sundew, grows outdoors or in cool bog gardens where aphids are the main pest on flower stems and new leaves. Fungus gnats exploit the moist peat medium. The plant's sticky mucilage traps small insects naturally, but aphids — too large to be reliably caught — siphon sap from stems and blooms.

Soft-bodied insects clustering on flower scapes and the underside of emerging leaves; honeydew and distorted growth. Wipe or rinse off with water. Apply dilute insecticidal soap carefully to affected areas, avoiding the mucilage-covered trap leaves which can be damaged by soaps.

Larvae burrow in the wet peat or sphagnum mix, damaging hair-fine roots; adults cloud around the plant. Top-dress with a thin layer of live sphagnum moss or coarse sand to deter egg-laying. Use yellow sticky traps. Apply Bti drench to the medium.

Soft growing points and fresh leaves chewed or severed, especially in cool, wet outdoor bog conditions at night. Place copper tape around bog pots. Use iron phosphate slug pellets around the container perimeter. Hand-remove slugs at dusk.