FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hi, I've just realised damage on my plants and these green bugs are all over my plants. Are they Aphids? I've tried to include some pictures but my phone won't focus, they're green and quite small.

Also, how do I get rid of them without submerging the plants in water?

I'm having a hard time seeing them very well for proper identification but if they are aphids you can use pretty much any of the recommended pesticides on this website, or just spray them off and they will probably be gone. They are pretty easy to get rid of (on small plants like VFT and sarracenia etc, not quite as easy on a 20ft vine of watermelon) It also would not be harmful to submerge the plant for a while. I usually first just pick off the ones I see and check frequently to see if there are more.

I use Bayer Advanced 3 in 1 insecticide miticide fungicide on all my VFTs, sarracenia and drosera safely. Only side effect I have noticed occasionally but not always is that the very underdeveloped leaf currently growing in may get a little deformed but its still better than the aphids!

cjpflaumer wrote:I'm having a hard time seeing them very well for proper identification but if they are aphids you can use pretty much any of the recommended pesticides on this website, or just spray them off and they will probably be gone. They are pretty easy to get rid of (on small plants like VFT and sarracenia etc, not quite as easy on a 20ft vine of watermelon) It also would not be harmful to submerge the plant for a while. I usually first just pick off the ones I see and check frequently to see if there are more.

I use Bayer Advanced 3 in 1 insecticide miticide fungicide on all my VFTs, sarracenia and drosera safely. Only side effect I have noticed occasionally but not always is that the very underdeveloped leaf currently growing in may get a little deformed but its still better than the aphids!

Thanks. I've killed a few, but they seem to be everywhere! I have over 60 plants so it would be time consuming to check each one and apply pesticide. Do you think I could just spray it over all my plants to make sure all are dead without any side effects, such as plants with no aphids new growth being deformed?

It shouldn't negatively harm your plants, and it may be a good idea anyways since the aphids may be migrating to other pots as well. I use another Bayer product and my plants seem fine.

Nick wrote:It shouldn't negatively harm your plants, and it may be a good idea anyways since the aphids may be migrating to other pots as well. I use another Bayer product and my plants seem fine.

Great, should I just use one spray from a bottle on each part of the plant?


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If I am seeing pests on a specific plant, I will single it out and give it a good spray to make sure I get as much foliar coverage as possible. If I am just doing preventative spraying, I'll get a few plants at a time. Even though it shouldn't damage the plants, I try to minimize hitting the media as much as possible. To be extra safe, I top water for the next watering session a couple days later.

Normally I prefer the pyrethrins version of their spray, but in this case I would recommend the imidacloprid version (which maybe is what you meant, cjpflaumer?) Imidacloprid is systemic so the plants should absorb it and become poisonous to the aphids. pyrethrins work well but the aphids need to come into contact with it within about 24 hours. Since aphids like to live under leaves, VFT leaves are hard to get under and you have so many, a systemic insecticide seems more practical.

Nick wrote:If I am seeing pests on a specific plant, I will single it out and give it a good spray to make sure I get as much foliar coverage as possible. If I am just doing preventative spraying, I'll get a few plants at a time. Even though it shouldn't damage the plants, I try to minimize hitting the media as much as possible. To be extra safe, I top water for the next watering session a couple days later.

Thanks, I'll do that

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xr280xr wrote:Normally I prefer the pyrethrins version of their spray, but in this case I would recommend the imidacloprid version (which maybe is what you meant, cjpflaumer?) Imidacloprid is systemic so the plants should absorb it and become poisonous to the aphids. pyrethrins work well but the aphids need to come into contact with it within about 24 hours. Since aphids like to live under leaves, VFT leaves are hard to get under and you have so many, a systemic insecticide seems more practical.

Do you know of any UK brands which I can get from a garden centre? I'm having a hard time finding any imidacloprid sprays.

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Ah, it might be banned there or uncommon because it was formerly banned...I'm not sure which one. I should've mentioned" it kills bees through contact (which is why the other is my preference) so use it carefully (like, at night)!

The only other systemic insecticide I know of, which would be overkill for aphids but should work, is acephate, which is commonly sold as ant killer. Someone else might know something more appropriate.

xr280xr wrote:Ah, it might be banned there or uncommon because it was formerly banned...I'm not sure which one. I should've mentioned" it kills bees through contact (which is why the other is my preference) so use it carefully (like, at night)!

The only other systemic insecticide I know of, which would be overkill for aphids but should work, is acephate, which is commonly sold as ant killer. Someone else might know something more appropriate.

I'll see if anyone from the UK knows. Don't worry, no bees will be harmed, they're all in a greenhouse!

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xr280xr wrote:Ah, it might be banned there or uncommon because it was formerly banned...I'm not sure which one. I should've mentioned" it kills bees through contact (which is why the other is my preference) so use it carefully (like, at night)!

The only other systemic insecticide I know of, which would be overkill for aphids but should work, is acephate, which is commonly sold as ant killer. Someone else might know something more appropriate.

http://www.diy.com/departments/bugclear ... UQodWYIAmQ
Does this look alright?

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xr280xr wrote:Normally I prefer the pyrethrins version of their spray, but in this case I would recommend the imidacloprid version (which maybe is what you meant, cjpflaumer?) Imidacloprid is systemic so the plants should absorb it and become poisonous to the aphids. pyrethrins work well but the aphids need to come into contact with it within about 24 hours. Since aphids like to live under leaves, VFT leaves are hard to get under and you have so many, a systemic insecticide seems more practical.

Yeah, the bayer 3 in 1 has imidacloprid. I always spray it at about 8 o clock at night so hopefully by the next day the bees can survive. They're probably just as likely to fall into the pitchers as anything but I still try.

But since imidacloprid isn't available in your area...
Do you have neem oil in your area? That should take care of aphids too.

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cjpflaumer wrote:

xr280xr wrote:Normally I prefer the pyrethrins version of their spray, but in this case I would recommend the imidacloprid version (which maybe is what you meant, cjpflaumer?) Imidacloprid is systemic so the plants should absorb it and become poisonous to the aphids. pyrethrins work well but the aphids need to come into contact with it within about 24 hours. Since aphids like to live under leaves, VFT leaves are hard to get under and you have so many, a systemic insecticide seems more practical.

Yeah, the bayer 3 in 1 has imidacloprid. I always spray it at about 8 o clock at night so hopefully by the next day the bees can survive. They're probably just as likely to fall into the pitchers as anything but I still try.

But since imidacloprid isn't available in your area...
Do you have neem oil in your area? That should take care of aphids too.

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I can buy neem oil from eBay, but I'll use a systemic pesticide, I'll use: http://www.diy.com/departments/bugclear ... 340_BQ.prd