FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

My rosea was infested with mealy bugs. I cleaned and sprayed and cleaned and sprayed and they keep coming back. I had gotten two rhizome cuttings from it to sprout so I decided it was time for the nuclear option. I uprooted the entire plant and this was the bottom of the rhizome. Covered in bugs and eggs with no way for the spray to get to them. I stripped off all of the pitchers, cut off a problematic piece of rhizome and doused the whole thing in alcohol. After a good rinse, it has gone into a plastic bag of damp moss. We'll see if anything recovers from this.

After reading a little on them I see they are common in greenhouse plants. What's the first thing you noticed that gave it away?

Good catch, Panman! Best wishes on the recovery!

andynorth wrote:What's the first thing you noticed that gave it away?

Unfortunately, it was uprooting the plant for the third time that I found it. I think it has been tormented by these pests for over a year. I attributed its lack of vigor to suffering from a difficult dormancy. The plant just looked terrible, the pitchers were small and occasionally deformed. I did a repot on it with fresh media but, much to my shame, I didn't prune of dead and dying pitchers. If I had, I would have found these $<"(÷=@ hiding in the base of the pitchers. I just saw someone post about a systemic that the plants tolerate well. I need to find that post again.

Do you think that might be what is happening to this guy? I got him back in mid-April. He had a couple nice pitchers but then but they died off and this is pretty much how he has been all summer. He did grow a couple more leaves but they turned black (lack of light I think) and I cut them off. He acts like he wants to pitcher but does not.

I don't think so. You'd likely see more signs of them on neps.

Thanks. I guess I will just let it keep going and see what happens. I might drop a shot of Maxsea on him to see if that helps. Going to have more space here real soon due to re potting and down sizing some of my smaller plants to smaller pots to maximize my growing space. Will be pulling out whatever sundews I have that require dormancy soon and my sarrs starts will now go in my germinating tent.

Panman wrote: ↑Wed Sep 06, 2023 12:28 am I did a repot on it with fresh media but, much to my shame, I didn't prune of dead and dying pitchers. If I had, I would have found these $<"(÷=@ hiding in the base of the pitchers.

I absolutely despise mealybugs! They have a nasty habit of targeting my rosea's and occasionally spilling over to my purpurea's. It took three heavy treatments with BioAdvanced 3-in-1 to finally annihilate them on my Triffid Park rosea (she's looking much better this year).

Panman wrote: I just saw someone post about a systemic that the plants tolerate well. I need to find that post again.

This should help you out:

The Carnivorous Plant FAQ v. 12
Q: What pesticides or other bug-killing methods work?
http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq3660.html

I got a couple small baggies of Safari 20 SG from Matt. It's marketed as a super-systemic insecticide, good against:

Adelgids
Aphids
Armored and soft scales
B-biotype whiteflies
Emerald ash borers
Flatheaded borers
Fungus gnat larvae
Glassy-winged sharpshooters
Japanese beetles (adults)
Lacebugs
Leaf beetles
Leafhoppers
Leafminers
Mealybugs
Psyllids
Q-biotype whiteflies
Root weevils
Roundheaded borers
Thrips (suppression)
White grubs

Matt said it's devastating against mealybugs, with foliage-spray and soil-drench concentrations. I just wish the stuff wasn't so expensive ($135 for a 12-ounce bottle on Amazon).