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Something's killing my VFT's

I have these red spots allover my VFT's leaves. I have a tray of VFTs and all of them have these red spots. I don't think it's spider mites since they don't move, or maybe they haven't hatched yet? I don't know. :-(

vft_redspots1.jpg


vft_redspots2.jpg
 
Man, I'm breaking out in a rash myself just looking at that picture :puke:

I hope somebody can help.

After a quick search on the web, most sites say to check the undersides of the leaves - that's where the mites like to hang out. If you have a 10x magnifier you should be able to see the critters - if not place a piece of bright white paper under a leaf and tap/shake the leaf. If you get a bunch of tiny moving specks on the paper they are probably spider mites.
 
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How long has it been since you repotted? Is your tray of VFT’s outside? You may want to move them to a different location, and then see if the problem goes away. If it is a pest it may be reaching your plants because of its location, so a change in location may eliminate the pest. Before doing this though, do what Not A Number mentioned and try to ID the problem first.

Also, did the “red spots” appear recently? If not, then they may not be harming the plant too much because of the new green growth and lack of suddenly dying mature traps and leaves. This does not mean that its condition is okay; the plant does look sick.
I am also throwing out the option of submerging the plant in water. I have read about this in previous topics that dealt with VFT’s having aphids and such… use the search feature to look these up.

Again, try to ID the problem or get further help from someone that may know more about these “red spots” before taking action.

Good luck.
 
I saw we bring out the heavy artillery! Systematic insecticides!

MUAHAHA! KILL KILL KILL!
 
Could be scale, which doesn't move much. Are they bumps or just spots? The one in the traps look like bumps. Can you flick one off with a X-Acto knife or razor?
 
Red spider mites?

Grab some insecticide. Ones containing pyrethrins are good.
 
It's hard to tell from the pictures, not for the quality but for the size of the red 'spots' but I would lean towards spider mites. Mine seemed rather stationary once I found that, after a vacation, they had HORRIBLY infested one and only one plant in my collection (all the rest were in close proximity but untouched, go figure). It was my Dingley Giant and it was covered with them so badly that I was actually panicked at first. :-(

My solution was to hose it down, liberally and frequently, with some neem-based fungicide/insecticide/miticide stuff from Schultz. After a few good soakings those buggers were never seen again and the plant didn't seem to care about being drowned, literally, in the fungicide. I swear by this stuff now, because it has worked extremely well without hurting any of my VFTs in the least. :hail:

If you have some or can get it (Walmart carries it, cheaply too) and this does turn out to be mites, hose that puppy down and hope for the best. It'll stink like crazy, but with any luck it'll be fine. :bigthumpup:
 
Good idea. I use a mixture of Systemic Insect Killer from Ortho and Cleary's 3336WP. What an absolute killer combo. Ortho kills the pests, Cleary's kicks the molds and fungus' behinds.
Cleary's is also systemic, and will become a part of the plant. Combined, the two work well.
 
Last night, I mixed up some orthene with some water to dilute it. Dumped it into a spray bottle and misted my VFTs. I hope that does the trick, I'll check on them when I get home.
 
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