Question
Do white flies, mealy bugs and aphids eat the sundew, or vice versa?  I came back from vacation, and my spoon-leaf (spatulata) and cape (capensis)sundews are full of tiny white bugs.  I've treated my African violets successfully with an insecticide containing pyrethrins and canola oil.  would that kill the sundews?

Answer
Hello Dorothy,

Tiny sap drinking insects can and will eat on carnivorous plant just like any other plant. You can take a cotton swab and brush it lightly over the dew on the sundew leaves to pick up some glue and then trap the tiny insects in the dew and kill them or feed them to the sundews. That is only a stop-gap measure as there are usually too many insects to deal with than one person can glue to a swab effectively. Your idea about the pyrethrines is fine, but canola oil is not a good idea as it would produce fertilizer derivatives after it washes into the soil. I would suggest getting a 2in1 Neem oil and pyrethrine mix that is often sold in garden centers. Nothing with any other type of oil or soap or fatty acid based mix should be used. Only Neem oil, water based, or sulfur based antifungals and insecticides should be used.

Christopher