> Anyway I recognised pyretheum as being a "natural" insecticide - so
> far I've
only sprayed it on one pitcher >(with a nice family of green splodges
("kids") & aphids). Have people tried pyretheum? Is it safe on drosera
>and sarracenia?
Well actually I have tried Pyrethrum - in the form of 'Keri Spray'. The
spray can also had some other ingredients in so this might have affected
what happened next, but it definitely contained Pyrethrum. I sprayed it
on some Drosera Capensis seedlings (I wasn't prepared to risk my
Cuneifolia) and within 3 hours they all died. Funny, the bugs survived
:-() I would think, however, that maybe tougher plants like Sarrs might
be OK but I wouldn't like to place bets. The things I have trouble with
are thousands of little bugs which I like to call "Zebra Bugs" because
they are about 0.5mm wide by 1.5mm long and they are grey and white
striped. They seem to emerge into tiny black flies (I don't actually
think they are blackflies) which go everywhere. But my aquatic Utrics
enjoy them (its a long story). But, to totally contradict myself and
void everything I have said (it's my other hobby), I have used FISONS
"Nature's Friends" pump-action spray sold in some garden centres which I
have sprayed on all of my CP's (except Neps) until it drips off their
leaves and this has done them no harm whatsoever (the insects wouldn't
agree: they're whole population was wiped out).
The moral? I do not advise using CFC type spray - i.e. the stuff which
comes in pressurised cans as When ever I have used this type of
Fungicide/Insecticide before it has killed my Droseras.
I hope this helps,
Toby Marsden