Carnivorous plant pests

Sarracenia

It is somewhat curious that these curious plants, which so many people have captivated, can also be victims of pests, since after all, they feed on insects. But unfortunately it is not a few times that these uncomfortable or annoying parasites end up being the »predators» of vegetables.

So today I'm going to tell you what are the pests of carnivorous plants, and how we should act to eliminate them.

Cochineal

But before getting into the matter, it is important that we know that, in most cases, and especially when we talk about this type of plants, pests will only appear when there is an error in the cultivationsuch as improper watering or placement. Our carnivores can also be attacked if we have reused the blonde peat without prior disinfection. Once we discover the origin of the appearance of the plague, we can treat the underlying problem, preventing it from happening again.

The most common pests are cochineal y aphid. We will see both during the summer season, which is when the environment is usually drier, and the carnivorous plants are enjoying the high temperatures, growing at ease; as long as we have their plate full of water, which will be distilled, osmosis or rain. Otherwise, the defense system will weaken, making any intruder want to take advantage of the situation. And that's when one day, without further ado, we begin to see mealybugs and aphids on the leaves (traps) or flowers of carnivores.

Aphid

Pests

The most common type of mealybug is known as San Jose louse. They are tiny parasites, less than 0cm in length, dark gray in color. It has an oval shape, and they are found mainly in the traps, or on the underside of the leaves.

The aphidsHowever, they are more in the flowers, preventing them from opening. Depending on the habitat, they are of one color or another. For example, in the Mediterranean they are green, but there are some that are yellow.

Transmission

Carnivorous plants are very special. Therefore, when you see an insect that should not be there, I recommend that, with a swab from your ears, moisten the cotton with distilled water, and take it away with him. If the pest is very advanced, use a gauze moistened with water, or in extreme cases, with chlorpyrifos, following the manufacturer's recommendations.

If you have doubts, get in contact us.


16 comments, leave yours

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.

  1.   Esteban said

    Hello, good afternoon, my plant started to appear in the epidermis as if something was eating it, what can I do?

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hello Esteban.
      I recommend that you spray the plant with Neem Oil, which is a natural insecticide that fights and kills many insects, including leaf miners.
      Anyway, if you want and can, upload an image to Tinypic or Imageshack (or something similar) and copy the link here to see what happens to your plant.
      A greeting.

  2.   Nancy Teran said

    Hello, I have a Venus flytrap a few days ago I noticed that it had some small green animals but they are not on the leaves or stems, they are only on the ground. What I can do ?

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hello Nanci.
      If they do not affect the plant you can leave them.
      You can use Neem Oil spray sold in nurseries, but it is not necessary.
      A greeting.

      1.    Nancy Teran said

        Thanks a lot. Kind regards

        1.    Monica Sanchez said

          Greetings to you.

  3.   Mishel said

    Hola!
    My Venus has little white, almost transparent insects and I really don't know what you're doing, thank you! ?

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hi Mishel.
      If they are few, it is better to remove them with a cotton swab dipped in water. Carnivores are not very good at insecticides.
      A greeting.

  4.   eyra de luna said

    Hello, good afternoon, a few days ago I found some small bugs but they are only in the land of my Venus flytrap, the plant looks good but can they cause it any harm?

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hi Eyra.
      They could cause damage, yes. I recommend putting sticky fly traps near your plant.
      A greeting.

  5.   axel said

    hello my venus flytrap has some animals like gray that I do

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hi Axel.
      What types of insects are they? In principle, I would recommend removing them by hand, since insecticides are more counterproductive than beneficial for carnivores.
      A greeting.

  6.   Larissa said

    Hello, since I acquired a Venus flytrap, I have noticed some very tiny gray insects on the ground. 4 months later these increased significantly in quantity and are killing the plant, how could you eliminate them?

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hi Larissa.
      I recommend using diatomaceous earth (they sell it on amazon). You add a little, as if you were sprinkling salt, and then you water.
      Another option, more drastic (and quick), is to remove the substrate it now has, clean the roots with distilled or rain water and replant it with new substrate. The only thing is that you have to be careful not to manipulate the roots too much.
      A greeting.

  7.   Fabian said

    Hello, my carnivorous plant has grown some green animals that do not look as transparent as the one in the image, I have noticed that they are more on the ground than on the plant, I saw one pass very close to a mouth and it did not close ,
    I have also noticed that she has not grown much (she is somewhat skinny), I do not know if I can give her some type of vitamin,

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hello Fabian.
      No, carnivores do not have to be fertilized, as their roots would burn and they would die.

      What type of water do you use to water it? It must be distilled, rain, or without any lime.

      If you are in spring, I would recommend you take it out of the pot, wash the roots with distilled water, rain or lime, and put new substrate (blond peat with perlite in equal parts).

      A greeting.