Hamata Tambusisi new leaf deformed!?

[marklt]

Hello growers! I went away for a few weeks, and now that I'm back, my dear Hamata surprised me... with a new leaf growing deformed, it looks cracked. Removed the moss from on top in search of any insects or anything it might have, but I didn't find anything. Before leaving, I noticed the leaf was a little strange; since it was still rolled up, though, I assumed it just needed to develop. I've been told that sometimes Hamatas do things like this due to light stress, and also that it could be mites. I checked the leaves and didn't find anything, also inside the pitchers and I haven't found anything either. It doesn't seem to be aborting any pitchers and none of the other neps next to it seem to have any anomalies.
On Mondays, they are watered completely, and on Thursdays, I only water the moss if it looks dry. The only thing that might have been different from what I usually do was the manual misting, which I normally do twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. The person who helped me take care of them only misted them at night. This plant has been growing with me since August 2025 so I’ll appreciate any experince you may share. Thank you so much for reading!

Parameters in my highland terrarium are:
Day: 70 - 77 F
Night: 53 - 57 F
RH: 60 - 85, 75 most of the time.

 

[Grey Moss]

That just looks like a random deformation. The most common pest to hit hamata would be thrips and the damage does not match up with that. Thrips would produce twisted, shrunken growth with a rougher surface texture. It also is not due to light stress. Your leaves are still fairly green meaning it's not getting too much light.

 

[marklt]

That just looks like a random deformation. The most common pest to hit hamata would be thrips and the damage does not match up with that. Thrips would produce twisted, shrunken growth with a rougher surface texture. It also is not due to light stress. Your leaves are still fairly green meaning it's not getting too much light

This puts my mind at ease! I'll wait and see how the next leaf grows. I'll keep an eye on it and gradually increase the light intensity. Thank you so much for your comment!

 

[marklt]

A month after, I think that the issue is mites… The newest pitcher is smaller than the others, and a new leaf has formed and it also looks cracked, pitchers seem to continue forming. I had to go away for work in December, and the few times I was home this month, I inspected the plant, but never found anything, until 2 days ago that I saw two little dots that moved when I blew on them and brought the light closer. Very tiny, orange-reddish colored… difficult to see. Found another one in the back of a leaf. Soooo Carnivero’s first option for mites (according to their website) is abamectin and I think I’ll use it. I was also recommended to use potassium soap… I’ve read and heard that they can be combined (like in the same cycle) to treat mites and prevent resistance. Today I’ll try the products in the oldest leaf to see how the plant reacts to them. Any tips or warning you may give me before applying? I’ll appreciate that and I’ll keep you posted.
Thank you so much for reading!

Tried to be specific for people who may read this, since I’ve learned a lot the same way.

 

[hcarlton]

Abamectin and I think it was called miracid is what I used at first...more recently found a corn and soybean oil emulsion also wipes them out when the systemic stops functioning too well.

 

[marklt]

Thank you, I’ll have that in mind too!