!!!APHIDS!!!

[tonge50]

Aphids really suck:

I was checking out the Venus fly traps and this one looked like it might have aphids on it. I took it into the green house for a closer look. Click on images for larger view

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I was able to get a really closeup picture through a 20X loupe of an aphid sucking on a new trap

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The poor little plant is infested with these critters. There were too many to pick off with tweezers, so I opted to cut off the old taps that were really infested. I will take them to school and look at them under a microscope to try and identify the small white specks. I have a bad feeling that those are insect eggs.

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Even the younger growth has specks on it. Maybe I should try submerging this pot in water or even removing the plant and soaking it alone. Any recomendations Further research on the Web indicates that the small specks would be too small to be aphid eggs

[Aidan]

I imagine the specks are simply dust and detritus.

Most aphids rarely lay eggs (or only at certain times of year) and reproduce asexually, bearing live young. It only takes one female aphid to end up with a population explosion.

Simplest solution is to apply an insecticide.

[peterhewitt]

As Aiden Advises, use a pesticide, its difficult to get at all of them manually.
I use Pyrethrum based pesticide at prescribed dosages, and this seems to work well for me on Flytrap Aphids.

[tonge50]

I was just reading a FAQ article at www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq3660.html The use of chemical insecticides is not recomended. I would prefer not to use an insecticide if possible. Would milled diatomaceous earth be effective against aphids without harming the plants?

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Crushed diatoms are supposed to be like broken glass to soft bodied insects. Does anyone see a problem with dusting the plants with it?

[unstuckintime]

Something i heard is the "drowning" method, where you simply submerge your plant in water for 24 hours, drowning and killing all aphids, while leaving the plant totally unharmed. I had tried it, with some success. However, by the time I used it, other plants were already infected. I wound up using an Ortho powder. Worked like a charm.

[Aidan]

The link fails.

Used according to the manufacturers directions, most insecticides are fine... and importantly, they work. Most other "solutions" don't.

If you are set against insecticide use, simply submerge the plant in a bucket of water for a couple of days. If you are lucky the aphids will drown. However, they are tenacious things, so no guarantees.

[peterhewitt]

As legend has it, Female Aphids are born pregnant and not only that, there unborn female offspring are also ....pregnant.
So interrupting the rather complicated growth cycle is necessary for total removal. Chemicals are, unfortunately, the only way to reliably rid yourself of these pests. And watch out once you have them under control, as you can expect more than one break out in a season.

[rsivertsen]

Yeah, they can also give birth a day or two later after being born themselves; they also molt, so you may see some empty shell carcasses. I use a mild fruit and vegetable insecticide on them, and have to monitor the plants for a few weeks for re infestations. My VFTs got hit with them too, in a terrarium of all places; not sure how they got in there. - Rich

[tonge50]

I was given a link to a YouTube video that demonstrates the use of Orthene to controll insects on carnivorous plants. Apperently they have experience using ornithine and captane successfully on Venus flytraps. There are also many 'organic' alternatives that are either boutanical poisons or suffocants. I will probably try a systemic poison, but I am still curious about diatomaceous earth. It just seems so much more appropriately cruel to cover the little suckers with crushed diatoms than to just poison them. Aphids are evil and deserve to die a horrible, agonizing death

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[Not a Number]

Unfortunately Orthene is no longer available except for commercial/agricultural application. That will probably be withdrawn eventually.

[prmills]

I've used a spray mix of neem oil, dish soap and a few other ingredients to deal with aphids before. You could try using neem oil, soap and water in a bucket for the 'drowning', doing it for a couple days would work I imagine. The soap would cut the water's skin, letting it get to the aphid and the neem oil works as a systematic pesticide. Just a thought for giving your plant swimming leasons, I have not tried it this way before.

[Aidan]

Soap solutions are best avoided. They are alkaline in reaction and may cause considerable damage to plants.

[jdallas]

We used to use acephate (Orthene, Ortho Systemic Insect Killer) on most of our plants, but it has been pulled from standard consumer distribution. I can still be found through agricultural specialty outlets. We've switched to using products containing imidacloprid. This is usually found in products for roses often under the Bayer label. It is a nicotine derivative, and is systemic. We've used it safely on Drosera, Sarracenia, and Nepenthes. We haven't tested it on Pinguicula yet. It is very effective and safe when used as directed. If you want to stay with botanical insecticides, many products exist with a combination of Neem and Pyrethrins that work well.

If you test diatomaceous earth I'd love to hear how it works.

[tonge50]

I bought some diatomaceous earth yesterday to try against the aphids. The first problem I encountered was actually applying the diatom flower to the plants and the infesting critters. I couldn't find a garden duster for small applications locally, though there are several available on the Web. I tried flicking the powder from a small paint brush without much success. I had imagined that it could be applied as a light, even powder coating on the plant and insects. It doesn't really coat or stick to the aphids like I had hoped I will check my test plant again today to see if the application was at all effective.

[Alexis]

I'd second insecticide containing pyrethrins.