What's eating my tropical pitcher plant?

Tropical Nepenthes pitcher plants face few outdoor pests in cultivation, but indoors mealybugs, scale insects, and aphids exploit the succulent pitchers and foliage. Fungus gnats breed in the moist growing medium. The pitchers themselves digest some insects, but sap-sucking pests on leaves and stems still require manual intervention.

White waxy fluff in pitcher lid joints, leaf axils, and along stems; honeydew and sooty mold follow; pitchers may wither. Remove with alcohol-soaked swabs; spray with insecticidal soap or diluted neem oil, avoiding pitcher interiors; repeat every 7–10 days.

Brown or tan dome-shaped bumps on stems and leaf undersides; yellowing leaves; sticky residue and sooty mold. Scrape off scales with a soft toothbrush; treat with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap; repeat applications needed as eggs hatch in waves.

Larvae damage roots in the moist growing medium (sphagnum, perlite); weak growth, wilting, or root rot follows. Allow the surface to approach dryness between waterings where the variety allows; use yellow sticky traps; apply Bti drench to the growing medium.