Question
I have been growing a cape sundew in my room for a few months, and a few days ago I noticed some aphids on the leaves of the plant. They are killing my sundew, the leaves are now dewless, and the leaves are drying up. I need to know of a way to kill the aphids before they kill my plant. Are there any safe pesticides to use on my sundew to treat the aphids?

Answer
Hello Anne,

Anything with Neem oil or pyrethrines would be good. Ortho systematic pesticides are also safe to use on carnivorous plants. The main thing to remember is to avoid anything with soap based or copper based products in it.

Another safe and effective way to remove aphids would be to submerge the plant totally in a bucket of water for 24 or so hours, take it out for a day, then submerge it again for another 24 hours or more. The submersion will drown the aphids and then a second submersion will make sure that any aphids left over are also drowned. You can then use a magnifying lens afterwards periodically to detect aphids on your plants. If you notice any, use insecticides to kill them before they become a threat. You can also remove minor aphid infestations with a fine paint brush dipped in the dew of your sundew to pick off the aphids, even feeding them to the healthy leaves as revenge.

Good luck removing those pesky aphids,

Christopher