Can raising pitcher plants at home effectively catch mosquitoes?

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There are too many mosquitoes at home, buy a pitcher plant and try it! Does this foodie grass, which is said to be able to eat mosquitoes without harming humans, really live up to its reputation? The editor will explore the mosquito-catching skills of Nepenthes with you!

Insect Catching: A Forced Choice

Its unique appearance makes it the darling of the flower market. But in fact, this pig cage is just a perverted leaf, there is nothing special about it. A tendril will grow from the leaves and cling to other plants. The tips of the tendrils taper into a cup shape to create a "lid", which is known as the bottle shape.

Nepenthes is not naturally capable of insects. It is just that in a harsh environment, it does not receive sufficient nutrients for its own growth and uses its own time to prey on insects.

What insects do Nepenthes catch?

At the flower market, flower shop owners will claim that Nepenthes can kill mosquitoes. In fact, mosquitoes are not the main meal of Nepenthes. It is really hard to believe that pitcher plants actually mainly eat ants and other land insects.

Poor mosquito control will lead to mosquito breeding< /h2>

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

Nepenthes is not only ineffective in killing mosquitoes, but also tends to encourage mosquitoes. After the pitcher plant eats the mosquito, the mosquito will be in the bottle, but sometimes the mosquito will lay eggs and emerge in the bottle. Nepenthes bottles instead become habitats for mosquitoes. The larvae captured by pitcher plants become food for mosquitoes. Over time, a mutually beneficial relationship develops between pitcher plants and mosquitoes. Emerging mosquitoes can attract praying mantises and spiders to prey on them, which can become food for pitcher plants, and pitcher plants can provide an undisturbed environment for mosquitoes to lay their eggs. The two sides reached a balance, which seems to be completely inconsistent with our original intention of buying Nepenthes to kill mosquitoes.

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