What's eating my madagascar sundew?

Drosera madagascariensis traps most flying visitors itself, but aphids exploit the non-sticky stems and leaf backs. Fungus gnat larvae are the real danger, chewing roots in the wet peat or sphagnum substrate. Keep mineral-free water in the tray, use pure media, and treat aphids with a dilute spray of carnivorous-plant-safe insecticide only.

Small whitish larvae in the substrate eat fine roots; growth slows, leaves pale, and the erect stem may droop; adults are harmless gnats hovering above the tray Use pure sphagnum or peat with no added fertilizer or bark; apply Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) drench; yellow sticky traps catch adults; avoid organic top-dressings

Colonies of tiny green or black insects on the non-glandular stem and flower stalk, out of reach of the sticky traps; distorted new growth Remove by hand or with a gentle water spray; if persistent, apply a dilute non-soap-based insecticide (such as neem oil spray) carefully avoiding the trapping leaves

Grayish fuzzy mold on dying or damaged leaves, especially in winter low-light conditions; can spread rapidly in stagnant humid air around the rosette Improve airflow; remove dead or dying leaves promptly; apply a copper-based fungicide or Physan 20 solution; reduce humidity slightly if plants are dormant