Can growing pitcher plants at home effectively catch mosquitoes?

Catching insects: a last resort

Its unique appearance makes it a favorite in the flower market. But in fact, this pig cage is just a deformed leaf and there is nothing special about it. A tendril grows from the leaves and clings to other plants. The tip of the tendril gradually forms a cup to create a "lid", which is called a bottle shape.

Pitcher plants are not born insects. They just live in harsh environments and cannot get enough nutrients to grow, so they use their own energy to prey on insects.

What insects do pitcher plants catch?

In the flower market, florist owners will claim that pitcher plants can kill mosquitoes, but in fact mosquitoes are not the main meal of pitcher plants. It’s hard to believe, but pitcher plants actually mainly eat ants and other land insects.

Failure to eliminate mosquitoes will lead to mosquito breeding

In fact, the mosquitoes that suck human blood at home are all female mosquitoes. They can feel human breath and sense the infrared rays emitted by humans to find their target. However, pitcher plants mainly emit ultraviolet rays, which cannot attract female mosquitoes at all. They can only attract male mosquitoes that suck plant sap, and are really useless against indoor mosquitoes.

Not only is the pitcher plant ineffective in killing mosquitoes, it can also easily encourage mosquito infestations. After the pitcher plant eats the mosquito, the mosquito will stay in the bottle, but sometimes the mosquito will lay eggs and emerge in the bottle. The pitcher plant's pitcher becomes a place for mosquitoes to live and breathe. The larvae captured by the pitcher plants become food for mosquitoes. Gradually, a mutually beneficial relationship will form between the pitcher plant and the mosquito. The emerging mosquitoes can attract mantises and spiders to come and prey on them, and they become food for pitcher plants. The pitcher plants can provide mosquitoes with an undisturbed environment for laying eggs. The two sides reached a balance, which seems to be completely inconsistent with our original intention of buying pitcher plants to kill mosquitoes.