Can Venus Fly Traps Eat Rolly Pollies? Best 177 Answer

Does anyone know or have any idea if isopods would be good for a VFT? I have a culture of them that I use for my dart frog tank and was wondering if they would make a good nitrogen source for fly traps?

I don’t always drink…. But when I do… I drink rainwater…. Stay thirsty my friends.

Carnivorous plants are exciting plants for growing in the garden and indoors.

Not only is their ferocious diet extremely interesting, many of them are beautifully colored and provide a bright focal point in any indoor space or in a shady corner of the garden.

While we know these Frankenstein beauties enjoy a meaty diet, the question is, would they eat roaches too?

Would this be a great way to rid our homes of pesky roaches and other household bugs if that’s the case?

Do carnivorous plants eat roaches? Carnivorous plants can eat roaches if their traps are large enough to accommodate the bug, but the roach would need to be weak and slow to be caught by the trap. Smaller carnivorous plants can usually only digest one roach at a time and need to rest after the beetle is fully digested.

Use the guide below to identify the exciting species of carnivorous plants that enjoy a balanced roach diet!

Carnivorous Plants That Eat Cockroaches (Best Options)

Cockroaches are generally hardy and sensitive to movement and feed on the ground. Therefore, the possibility of falling into a trap from above is not very likely.

However, cockroaches are known to sometimes get caught in the traps of these meat-hungry plants.

Additionally, the delicious scents of some carnivorous plants may prove a little too tempting for the humble cockroach!

However, these plants should not be used to rid your home or interior of a cockroach infestation.

Instead, use eco-friendly methods like citronella oil or a baking soda and sugar solution to get rid of roaches. For severe infestations, an exterminator may be your only option.

#1 Tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes spp.)

The many species of pitcher plant develop a pitcher trap at the end of each leaf tendril. These traps can vary in size, color, and shape depending on the species.

In addition, the scent of this plant attracts cockroaches, which are then digested when they fall into the jar.

#2 American pitcher plant (Sarracenia spp.)

The medium-sized pitchers of this plant can easily accommodate a decent roach. In addition, their unique smell is attractive to cockroaches.

Once caught in the trap, the roach is easily digested.

#3 Butterwort (Pinguicula)

The sticky resin coating on butterwort’s leaves traps insects when they land on its leaves.

As the insect tries to extricate itself, the leaves secrete a digestive enzyme that helps the plant absorb nutrients from the bug.

Cockroaches are a butterwort’s favorite meal, but they can also feed on more than 100 different species of insects.

#4 Venus Flytrap (Dionaea muscipula)

The Venus Flytrap likes to devour roaches, but usually the roaches need to be small enough to easily fit in their traps.

The plant’s unique scent attracts cockroaches. When the roach enters the trap, it triggers a mechanism that snaps the trap shut, and over time the roach is digested.

#5 Cobra Lily/ California Pitcher Plant (Darlingtonia californica)

This unique plant bears an uncanny resemblance to a striking cobra. Unlike other pitcher plants, it does not use water to drown its victims.

Instead, it attracts insects, roaches, and even invertebrates with its distinct aroma. The insects cannot escape once inside the hood and eat the nectar.

The plant secretes digestive enzymes and ingests the cockroach.

#6 Monkey Cup (Nepenthes)

This tropical plant develops showy, water-filled pitchers. The nectar secretions and pitcher color are attractive to cockroaches and other insects.

Once they fall into the jar, the roach is broken down by the digestive enzymes at the bottom of the jar.

#7 Sundew (Drosera spp.)

These colorful rosettes grow in the swamps and bogs of humid climates like Africa and Australia.

The sundew’s tentacles secrete nectar, which is attractive to most insects, including cockroaches.

These hungry plants will decompose and absorb any insect clinging to their sticky fingers as long as it cannot escape.

#8 Yellow pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava)

One of the largest pitcher plant species, the yellow pitcher plant has hollow pitchers that trap insects.

The plant’s nectar attracts insects and hungry cockroaches to its pitchers; from there they fall into the jug and are digested by the plant’s digestive enzymes.

While unlikely to eat roaches in their natural environment, the yellow pitcher plant is more than capable of consuming a succulent roach!

Other insects that eat carnivorous plants

Much like humans and animals, carnivorous plants enjoy a varied diet and will happily consume many species of beetles, insects, and spiders.

Knowing which ones to feed your Monster Licious Babies will ensure they stay happy and healthy.

mosquitoes

To fly

ants

be crazy

moths

butterflies

wasps

Beetle

centipede

grasshoppers

mosquitoes

Related Questions:

Can you feed dead bugs to carnivorous plants?

Most carnivorous plants eat live and dead bugs. When the dead bug is placed in the trap or dropped in the jar, the digestive enzymes break it down into nutrients for the plant.

However, the Venus flytrap is the exception and prefers their meals alive and kicking.

Which carnivorous plant eats the most bugs?

The sundew is one of the hungriest of carnivorous plants, happily feeding on anything that gets stuck to its sticky tentacles.

Studies in Japan have shown that sundews, which grow in swampy areas, steal the insects that are attracted to the flowers of neighboring plants!

Conclusion

Carnivorous plants enjoy a varied diet of bugs and insects, including the unsuspecting cockroach. Nothing gets their digestive juices going faster than a tasty bug treat.

However, overfeeding your carnivorous plants can lead to death or possible disease.

So when feeding your plants, make sure you provide food with appropriate bugs, insects, and arachnids every two to four weeks.

Finally, human food, including raw meat, is not ideal for carnivorous plants as it can lead to the development of bacteria and mold that will affect your plant’s health.

Actually, it’s the disgusting stuff they squirt that I think kills the trap. And here is what I observed: If you let your vft catch it without your help it will NOT kill the trap but if you feed it to the plant, bye trap!

If you mess with me, my Sarracenia will eat you!

my youtube: theamazingplant2

check out my videos there.

and remember: DANCE SARRACENIA DANCE!

Blackhawks rule!

No red coloring on the inside of the traps does not mean your Venus flytrap is unhealthy. In fact, there are some cultivated strains that never color in the traps, no matter how healthy they are or how much sunlight they get. See the article on Justina Davis.

Most breeders agree that the coloration in Venus flytraps is mainly due to exposure to strong light. I also found a correlation with the time the trap is open. When the trap opens, it usually has very little coloration initially. When the trap is triggered to close, it almost never develops more coloring than it did at the time it was closed.

However, if left alone, the traps will continue to color until they turn a deep red. If you grow your plants outdoors, the traps also seem to change color more in late summer and early fall. A lack of color doesn’t really say anything about the health of the plant. That doesn’t mean it’s malnourished or needs to be fed.

As long as the plant gets plenty of sunlight (at least 4 hours of direct light per day), clean water (rain, distilled or reverse osmosis water), and is planted in nutrient-poor media (peat moss, peat moss, or similar on these rows), it will thrive.

FAQ: Why is my Venus flytrap turning black?

If you’ve fed your Venus flytrap a tasty meal only for the trap to turn black and die in the days that follow, don’t panic!

Traps can turn black for many different reasons, and most are not fatal to the plant. I’ve listed 5 of the most common causes below.

1. Inappropriate food

Don’t feed your plant sausage, chocolate, or anything else it wouldn’t catch in the wild. This is a guaranteed way to make the trap rot. Cut off the dead leaf and feed your plant properly!

A good Venus flytrap menu: mealworms, bloodworms and crickets. View on Amazon.

When feeding your plant bugs, don’t give them anything larger than about 1/3 the size of the trap. If the insect is too large, or if there is a stray leg or antennae sticking out, it is likely that the trap will not be able to seal completely, which in turn will result in leaf death. Just cut it out and wait for new growth to replace the old trap.

2. Stress from poor growing conditions

If your growing conditions aren’t ideal, your plant’s traps can turn black every time they’re fed, or even if they haven’t been fed at all.

Traps that turn yellow before turning black – particularly those that have not been fed – are a common symptom of poor growing conditions.

Are you giving your plants appropriate water? Tap water and bottled water often contain high levels of dissolved minerals that can burn your plant’s roots. Purchase a TDS reader to test your water.

Is your plant getting enough light? Venus flytraps like full sun; If you grow them in a gloomy position, traps will turn black more often.

; If you grow them in a gloomy position, traps will turn black more often. Are you using suitable soil? Like most carnivorous plants, Venus flytraps require poor soil. Regular potting soil or something with fertilizer will damage your plant! Use peat moss mixed with non-lime horticultural sand and/or perlite (the classic carnivorous potting soil available at specialist nurseries and on Amazon) or pure peat moss – live or dried – which you can buy from The Sphagnum Shop. Use code TOMS10% to get 10% off your order.

You can read my complete guide to growing Venus flytraps here, or grab a copy of Peter D’Amato’s “bible” to carnivorous plants, The Savage Garden.

3. Overfeeding

Closing a trap and digesting an insect requires energy. If you feed every single trap on your plant — or worse, set off the traps for fun without giving them a meal — chances are some of the leaves will turn black and die.

This is unlikely to be fatal, so don’t panic. Your plant simply focuses its energy on producing new leaves. Endure feeding for a month or two, and in the future try to feed no more than 1 trap per week (especially for small plants). You can also try putting your plant outside on a sunny day so it can try to catch some food naturally.

Some growing advice I always give to new growers: Fertilizing your plants should be the very last thing on your list! There are more important things to tackle first if you want to be successful in growing carnivorous plants.

4. Hibernation

Like many other plants from temperate climates, Venus flytraps require a cold winter dormancy to survive long term. As daylight hours shorten and temperatures drop, it’s normal for some traps to blacken and die as your plant enters its hibernation phase. In the northern hemisphere, this period typically lasts between November and February.

By late fall, when your flytrap’s leaves have started to die back (and when you’ve taken care of all of its other growing needs!), chances are your plant is simply entering its dormant phase. This is perfectly normal and you can safely trim off dead leaves and reduce watering slightly until spring. Your plant will then start producing new traps as the days lengthen and temperatures rise. You can read more about the dormancy of the Venus Flytrap here.

5. Natural Life Cycle

If it is the oldest traps in the rosette that are turning black, or if the blackening trap has already caught and digested several insects, then this is probably a normal part of the trap’s life cycle. If your plant keeps putting out new growth to replace the old traps, don’t worry.

A healthy plant (Dionaea muscipula) that produces many new traps.

I hope this was useful – if you have any questions let me know in the comments. Happy growing!

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Venus Flytrap Dionaea muscipula Status: Not Listed Classification: Plant

Description The Venus Flytrap is a flowering plant best known for its carnivorous eating habits. The “trap” consists of two hinged lobes at the end of each leaf. On the inner surfaces of the lobes are hair-like projections called trichomes that cause the lobes to snap shut when prey comes into contact with them. This type of movement is called thigmonasty – an undirected plant response to touch. To prevent the plant from wasting energy when there is no prey, the trap will only close when the trichomes are touched multiple times. The hinged traps are edged with small bristles that interlock when the trap is closed to ensure prey cannot wriggle out. There are other carnivorous plants in the wild, but the Venus Flytrap is one of the few that will exhibit movement to actively capture its prey.

Range The Venus flytrap is endemic to North and South Carolina, but has also been introduced to a few other states, including Florida and New Jersey. It is popular as a pot plant in many parts of the world, but unfortunately most of the Venus Flytraps sold have been cultivated or collected from declining wild stocks. The plant grows in moist, acidic soil that can be nutrient poor. Venus flytraps need an open undergrowth (the part of the forest below the canopy) to live. Part of what keeps the undergrowth open is natural fires that sweep through portions of trees and shrubs and burn them away. These fires can be dangerous to humans, so we often stop them before they can benefit the forest. This makes for a less suitable habitat for the sun-loving Venus flytrap.

Diet The Venus flytrap gets some of its nutrients from the soil, but to supplement its diet the plant eats insects and arachnids. Ants, bugs, grasshoppers, flying insects and spiders are all victims of the flytrap. A Venus flytrap can take three to five days to digest an organism and months can elapse between meals.

Life History Venus flytraps are perennial plants, which means they bloom year after year. The flowers are white with green veins running from the base of the petal to the edges. Pollinated flowers eventually give rise to seeds. Each trap on the plant can only open and close multiple times before it dies and falls off. Then the plant produces a new trap from its underground stems. The lifespan of the Venus flytrap is not known for certain, but it is estimated to live up to 20 years and possibly longer.

Conservation The Venus flytrap is internationally classified as vulnerable. It is also being considered for federal listing on the US Endangered Species List. This species is threatened by overcollection, habitat destruction, and firefighting.

Fun Facts Like all plants, the Venus flytrap gets its energy from the sun in a process called photosynthesis. It digests insects and arachnids to obtain nutrients not available in the environment.

Most carnivorous plants grow in boggy soil with acidic or “ericaceous” compost. Most bog compost contains peat, but several peat-free bog mixes have come onto the market in recent years. Keep this well watered and make sure it never dries out. When growing your carnivorous plants, choose a bright, sunny spot in summer and move to a cool, frost-free spot in winter. Remove wilted flowers and leaves as needed.

Carnivorous plants, including pitcher plants ( Sarracenia ) and Venus flytraps ( Dioneaea muscipula ), are unusual and fascinating plants and are particularly popular with children. They are an excellent choice for a conservatory or a sunny windowsill.

There are three important things to remember when caring for temperate carnivorous plants, including sundews and pitcher plants. In this Golden Rules video, Hewitt-Cooper Carnivorous Plants’ Nigel Hewitt-Cooper shares his top three tips on the temperature, water, and light that carnivorous plants need to thrive.

More on growing carnivorous plants:

Hardy carnivorous plants are easy to grow as long as you follow a few simple rules. Here are our 10 tips for growing carnivorous plants.

Grow 1 carnivorous plants in the sun

Hardy carnivorous plants thrive in warm conditions with plenty of bright light during spring and summer, so plant them on a sunny windowsill, in a conservatory, or on a sunny patio.

2 Keep carnivorous plants cool in winter

Unlike tropical plants, most carnivorous plants are temperate and therefore need a cool place to rest during the winter – otherwise they will become exhausted and die. When they go dormant, some plants may die (and a Venus flytrap’s traps may turn black and die). Place in a cool, unheated room or greenhouse – around 7°C is ideal – and keep the compost just moist.

Grow 3 carnivorous plants in moist compost

In the wild, hardy carnivorous plants grow in swampy soil, so their compost needs to be moist at all times during the warmer months. Place the pot in a saucer of water and keep it topped up. Alternatively, block drain holes to prevent water from draining. During the hibernation period, keep the compost just moist.

Water 4 carnivorous plants with rainwater

Tap water can harm carnivorous plants. Use distilled or filtered water, water from a boiled kettle or preferably rainwater – you can leave a bucket outside to catch it or use water from a barrel.

Grow 5 carnivorous plants in heather compost

Carnivorous plants grow best in a nutrient-poor medium such as peat or a special compost known as heather compost. If you prefer not to use peat for environmental reasons, you can try Moorland Gold, which is mined without damaging peat bogs, or a peat-free moorland soil-soil mix.

6 Do not feed insects to carnivorous plants

Don’t feel like you have to “feed” your carnivorous plant insects – when it’s outside it catches itself and even inside there should be insects to feed on.

7 Do not fertilize carnivorous plants

Carnivorous plants don’t need to be fertilized – they get all the nutrients they need from the insects they catch. In fact, fertilizer can kill the plants that normally grow in nutrient-poor soil.

8 Don’t tease carnivorous plants

If your Venus flytrap’s traps aren’t closing, it may be because curious fingers are poking at your plant too often. Each trap will only close about five times in its lifetime, so resist provoking your plant.

9 carnivorous plants with dead heads

Cut off dead blooms with scissors – and for Venus flytraps and pitcher plants, cut off the dead traps when they turn black – this often happens in the fall and winter.

10 Control of pests on carnivorous plants

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Carnivorous plants are surprisingly incapable of dealing with aphids, so use traps or biological controls to control them. Carnivorous plants can also be susceptible to the red spider mite, which thrives in hot, dry conditions. Improve air circulation in the greenhouse and increase humidity by placing water trays on the benches between the plants. If you grow a lot of plants, you can try releasing the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis on your plants.

The Carnivorous Plant FAQ v. 12

Q: What should I feed my Venus Flytrap? hamburger meat?

A: I often see Venus flytraps for sale at grocery stores, hardware stores, or other unlikely places. Being a bit snotty by nature, I like to ask the sales clerk about “those flytraps”, playing the role of a curious but uninformed customer. The saleswomen usually tell me that the plants are easy to grow as long as they are given a bowl of water and some hamburger meat every now and then.

What do you think they are selling? Kitten?

Of course, the information you get from the sales staff is all wrong. If you feed a venus flytrap some hamburger meat, it will likely die. Venus fly traps expect bugs. Feed them anything else and they won’t like it. Cow meat contains far too much non-bug energy and protein. Emu meat is no better.

Yum Yum!

If you want to feed your plants, you need to find bugs. Mistakes, mistakes, mistakes. I recommend caterpillars, flies, spiders, crickets, snails and very small children. I don’t recommend ants (the leaves often get damaged afterwards), moths (too much fluff), butterflies (too cute) or bugs (too much sturdy exoskeleton). A warning about caterpillars and other leaf-eating arthropods – make sure these or any bugs you feed your plant can’t eat their way out! FAQ reader Crispin S. told me that a caterpillar nibbled its way out of several traps on its plant before finally defeating it. Too bad – caterpillars are usually fabulous food.

FAQ reader Aaron K-Z told me he fed his Venus flytrap a firefly because he said, “What the heck.” (This is the blind monkey curiosity we all have that leads to the cloning of humans and genetically modified organisms!) He said that while the firefly was still alive, the trap would blink on and off. Eventually the trap died, so fireflies might not be the best source of flytrap food. Man I wish fireflies lived where I live. I grew up with them in the Midwest, but they’re not here in California.

I’ve been told that maggots make good fodder for Venus flytraps. (This wonderful little factoid came to me from an anonymous source, whom I will only refer to as Steve Evanchuck. Last I heard he was in Nebraska and startled his neighbors.) Apparently, you can buy maggots at fishing bait shops (and other high-quality maggot shops). ). The maggots are packed in sawdust. Disgusted? Wait it gets better! The maggots can usually escape the traps, so Steve Evanchuck (remember, Nebraska) says the maggot has to be “pierced with a toothpick” first. One of the things that tells me is that there are stranger people in the universe than me. It’s also a good reminder to be careful who you borrow toothpicks from.

When feeding your plants, don’t feed a trap larger than about 1/3 the size of the trap. If you give the plant a bug that is too large, bacterial rot often sets in and kills the leaf. Plants in the wild and really well grown plants in culture can eat larger prey, but for beginners the 1/3 trap size is a good rule of thumb for prey sizing.

The FAQ has described other insect food options here and there — it’s a topic of some interest to carnivorous plant breeders, so I have a lot more information on the subject. maggots! Can you believe it?

Page citations: Rice, B.A. 2006a; reader contributions.

FAQ: What should I feed my Venus Flytrap?

Short answer

Probably nothing… not yet.

If you want your Venus Flytrap to be happy and grow big colorful traps, there are many things you should do before you think about what to feed her for dinner.

It may sound boring, but your little plant will be far healthier with proper watering, lots of bright sunlight, and – in the long run – a cold hibernation than with leftover food falling into its traps.

Once you’ve taken care of your basic growing needs – or if you just can’t wait any longer – read on…

Funny answer

Venus flytraps are cool and fun to feed. Also, even the healthiest plant will eventually slow down in growth if it doesn’t catch prey. If your plant lives outdoors or if you can put it outside on sunny days, it will catch all the food it needs without your help. But if you really want to feed your plant yourself, then there are 5 important things to consider:

Don’t give your plant anything that it wouldn’t naturally catch. That means no chocolate, chicken, or other human foods. only bugs! Don’t give your plant fertilizer or other regular “plant food” – like most carnivorous plants, they prefer to grow in poor soil. Closing a trap takes a lot of energy, so don’t trigger it unless you feed it. Don’t overfeed your plant for the same reason – a trap a week is more than enough. Don’t feed your plant anything larger than about 1/3 the size of the trap – it needs to seal completely to digest its meal, and prey that’s too large can rot the trap and turn it black. Digestion only begins when the trigger hairs of the trap are stimulated after the trap has been closed. If using a dead bug, use a toothpick or cocktail stick to gently “tickle” the hairs through the gaps after the trap has closed over the prey. It will be closed soon.

Next the menu!

The best food for your Venus Flytrap:

Venus flytrap menu: mealworms, mosquito larvae and crickets. View on Amazon.

Mealworms: These small, freeze-dried worms are a nutritious food source for Venus flytraps, which you can purchase at many pet stores and reptile specialists. Small tubs are available for around £5 and contain enough food for dozens of plants to feed for many years. Mealworms can sometimes be too large for flytrap seedlings, so for smaller plants you may need to cut a worm into an appropriately sized piece. Simply rehydrate the worm with a few drops of water, soak up excess water with kitchen roll, then trap it. Use your cocktail stick to gently touch the trigger hairs as above. Delicious!

Bloodworms: Their name might be gross, but these tiny freeze-dried worms can be a great food source for Venus flytraps. They are cheap, nutritious, and can be purchased at most pet stores and aquariums. You can buy a small pot for just a few pounds. Simply take a small pinch of dried worms, rehydrate them with a few drops of water and soak up excess water with paper towels. Then, using a toothpick or cocktail stick, separate a small “meatball” about 1/3 the size of the trap. Insert and then use your cocktail stick to gently touch the trigger hairs as above.

Crickets: If you can find dried crickets that are reasonably small, they make a fine snack for adult Venus flytraps. Pots of dried crickets are usually available for around £5. Just slip one into each trap, making sure their antennas aren’t sticking out and preventing a full seal. You can stimulate the trigger hairs with a cocktail stick or toothpick, or by very gently squeezing the sides of the trap.

All three of these foods are suitable for other carnivorous plants as well as Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula). Bloodworms are ideal for almost all species, particularly sundew (Drosera) and butterwort (Pinguicula), while mealworms and crickets are often good for larger pitcher plants (Sarracenia and Nepenthes).

What about live food?

It’s worth noting that reptile and amphibian specialists (like Swell Reptiles in the UK) sell mealworms and crickets live as well as freeze-dried. While Venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants gratefully accept live insects, I’ve found it’s rarely worth the effort. Mealworms have been known to burrow out of traps, and crickets move so quickly that they can easily escape. Some growers will place their container of insects in the freezer for several minutes to “numb” the bugs so they can be more easily fed to their plants, but unless you insist on a live food diet, dried mealworms are often the best option ( Shortcut).

Whatever you do, don’t forget to take care of her other needs first! Be sure to read my complete guide to growing Venus Flytraps, or grab a copy of Peter D’Amato’s “bible” to carnivorous plants, The Savage Garden. You may also want to subscribe to my email newsletter to be notified when I publish my next article.

Happy growing!

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The Carnivorous Plant FAQ v. 12

Q: How often should I feed my Venus Flytrap?

Dionaea ‘Dentate Traps’ A: It depends on the plant. You can put a bug in each open fall leaf. Once a trap catches a bug, it takes about a week to digest it. Then it will reopen and be ready for a new bug. That means if you have a large plant with about seven traps, on average one trap will open per day, ready for a feeding. That’s a lot of work.

On the other hand, you don’t have to feed a trap just because it opens. Traps can go for weeks without food. I’ve grown entire plants for more than a year at a time without feeding them. They grow well, just slower.

I usually feed my plants about four times a year. Each plant gets about three bugs per feeding. Twelve bugs per plant doesn’t seem like much, but I have about 30 plants in my terrarium, so that’s about 360 bugs. That’s a lot of time I spend singing Poe in my living room when I could tease my neighbor’s cat.

Page citations: Rice, B.A. 2006a; personal observation.

Eco-friendly pest control is the best way to protect yourself from pesky insects while minimizing your impact on the environment. Plant-based bug sprays and repellents have been on the market for years, and some are highly effective against mosquitoes. But what if the plants themselves could do the job of reducing insect numbers?

Most plants feed on sunlight and nutrients from the soil, but a small number of plants take it a step further and actually eat. Carnivorous plants are specially adapted to trap and digest insects, and many also eat mosquitoes—but how effective are they as a pest control method?

What are carnivorous plants?

Carnivorous plants (AKA insectivorous plants) are plants with special adaptations that allow them to catch and digest insects and other small critters. There are over 600 known species of carnivorous plants, and they use a variety of trapping mechanisms to capture their prey.

In most cases, carnivorous plant traps are made from modified leaves. These include snares (hollow structures that prey can fall into), “flypaper” sheets (covered with a sticky substance to trap insects), bubble traps (which suck insects to their doom), and snap traps (sheets that quickly turn over close beetle).

Carnivorous plants are usually found in places with nutrient-poor soils that cannot meet the plant’s nutritional needs.

What Plant Species Do Mosquitoes Eat?

venus flytrap

The Venus Flytrap (a carnivorous plant native to the subtropical wetlands of the east coast of the United States) uses a “snap-trap” mechanism to capture prey.

The plant’s leaves are broad and flat, with delicate “trigger hairs” covering their insides. When an unsuspecting bug (attracted by the smell or color of the plant) lands on these leaves, they stimulate the trigger hairs, causing the leaves to close around the insect, trapping it.

Venus flytraps can grow to all sizes, allowing them to capture a wide variety of insects – including mosquitoes! Insects as small as mosquitoes don’t weigh enough to stimulate the trigger hairs of larger traps, but some Venus flytraps have evolved “minitraps” that can detect even tiny bugs.

Once the plant has an insect in its claws, it secretes digestive enzymes to kill and liquefy its victim. This ultimately creates an insect soup from which the plant can absorb nutrients.

pitcher plant

The pitcher plant is a passive predator that traps insects with a pit trap. They are found in a wide range of habitats and (like the Venus flytrap) use their carnivorous adaptations to compensate for nutrient-poor soils.

The pitfall consists of specially adapted leaves that often form a long, tubular structure. They lure their prey with a series of nectar-secreting glands that begin at the mouth of the pitcher and extend into the interior of the trap.

The unsuspecting bugs follow the trail of sugary secretions until they reach the pitcher’s smooth “neck”. At this point, they lose their footing and fall into the pool of liquid at the bottom of the pit, where they drown. Once dead, they are digested by enzymes secreted and absorbed by the plant.

Pitcher plants mainly “eat” insects (including mosquitoes). However, some species (such as Attenborough’s 1.5 meter pitcher plant) are large enough to capture and digest rodents and other small animals.

Common water hose

Bladderwort is a carnivorous species of aquatic plant found in lakes and streams around the world. Using small, hollow sacs, they catch and consume a variety of small creatures, including insect larvae, water fleas, and water worms.

The common waterskin doesn’t just wait for bugs to wander into its traps. These hollow sacs also have a trap door covered in tiny bristles. When a prey comes into contact with these bristles, the door swings open. This creates a sudden influx of water, and the beetle is sucked into it. The trapdoor closes behind it, and the animal is digested by enzymes before being ingested by the plant.

Despite their watery habitats, the water hose can also be used to control mosquitoes. This is because mosquitoes begin life as aquatic creatures, and the larval portion of their life cycle occurs in ponds, lakes, and other stagnant bodies of water.

Can mosquito-eating plants be used to control mosquitoes?

There are hundreds of species of carnivorous plants, and most of them are capable of killing mosquitoes. But does that make them a suitable form of insect control?

Keep in mind! Unfortunately, carnivorous plants are unlikely to result in a significant reduction in mosquito numbers – especially if you have a heavy infestation.

Venus flytraps and pitcher plants are unlikely to capture mosquitoes at a high enough rate to effectively control mosquitoes, and since they grow naturally in tropical and subtropical environments, they won’t thrive everywhere.

However, for people with a pond on their property, water hose can help reduce the number of mosquitoes effectively. The water bladderworm feeds on small aquatic prey and can consume large numbers of insect larvae. This effectively breaks the mosquito life cycle and greatly reduces the number of mosquitoes reaching adulthood.

Conclusion

Carnivorous plants are plants that have evolved traits that allow them to capture and digest live prey. These plants use a variety of traps to capture insects and other small invertebrates before digesting them and absorbing their nutrients.

Several carnivorous plant species (including Venus Flytraps, Pitcher Plants, and Bladderwort) eat gnats as part of their insect diet. Unfortunately, most carnivorous plants are unlikely to have a significant impact on the number of mosquitoes in your home.

One species that can make a difference, however, is the common water hose. These aquatic plants trap insect larvae in ponds and lakes and can effectively reduce the number of mosquito larvae. Planting a few in your garden pond can help break the mosquito life cycle and reduce the number of mosquitoes on your property.

Venus Flytrap Dionaea muscipula Status: Not Listed Classification: Plant

Description The Venus Flytrap is a flowering plant best known for its carnivorous eating habits. The “trap” consists of two hinged lobes at the end of each leaf. On the inner surfaces of the lobes are hair-like projections called trichomes that cause the lobes to snap shut when prey comes into contact with them. This type of movement is called thigmonasty – an undirected plant response to touch. To prevent the plant from wasting energy when there is no prey, the trap will only close when the trichomes are touched multiple times. The hinged traps are edged with small bristles that interlock when the trap is closed to ensure prey cannot wriggle out. There are other carnivorous plants in the wild, but the Venus Flytrap is one of the few that will exhibit movement to actively capture its prey.

Range The Venus flytrap is endemic to North and South Carolina, but has also been introduced to a few other states, including Florida and New Jersey. It is popular as a pot plant in many parts of the world, but unfortunately most of the Venus Flytraps sold have been cultivated or collected from declining wild stocks. The plant grows in moist, acidic soil that can be nutrient poor. Venus flytraps need an open undergrowth (the part of the forest below the canopy) to live. Part of what keeps the undergrowth open is natural fires that sweep through portions of trees and shrubs and burn them away. These fires can be dangerous to humans, so we often stop them before they can benefit the forest. This makes for a less suitable habitat for the sun-loving Venus flytrap.

Diet The Venus flytrap gets some of its nutrients from the soil, but to supplement its diet the plant eats insects and arachnids. Ants, bugs, grasshoppers, flying insects and spiders are all victims of the flytrap. A Venus flytrap can take three to five days to digest an organism and months can elapse between meals.

Life History Venus flytraps are perennial plants, which means they bloom year after year. The flowers are white with green veins running from the base of the petal to the edges. Pollinated flowers eventually give rise to seeds. Each trap on the plant can only open and close multiple times before it dies and falls off. Then the plant produces a new trap from its underground stems. The lifespan of the Venus flytrap is not known for certain, but it is estimated to live up to 20 years and possibly longer.

Conservation The Venus flytrap is internationally classified as vulnerable. It is also being considered for federal listing on the US Endangered Species List. This species is threatened by overcollection, habitat destruction, and firefighting.

Fun Facts Like all plants, the Venus flytrap gets its energy from the sun in a process called photosynthesis. It digests insects and arachnids to obtain nutrients not available in the environment.

The Venus Flytrap is unique. Nectar in its “traps” — actually modified leaves — attracts insects. However, if an unsuspecting insect brushes against the tiny hairs of a leaf trap, the trap will snap shut in less than a second. Once the trap is tightly closed, digestive acids and enzymes break down the insect and the plant absorbs the nutrient-rich ‘soup’. Seven to 10 days later, the trap opens, ready for another meal.

Rather than wasting energy on falling raindrops or other inedible objects, a Venus flytrap tracks how many times the insect stumbles its tiny hairs before activating its digestive juices. A trap’s trigger hairs must be hit twice within 20 seconds for the trap to snap shut.

Like other plants, Venus flytraps engage in photosynthesis: they get energy from the sun. So why do they catch and digest insects? The answer lies in the soil. Most plants absorb nutrients from the soil: nitrogen, sulphur, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and potassium are particularly important. Most plants cannot survive in wet, acidic soil due to a lack of adequate nutrients. But Venus flytraps are not “most plants”! They have adapted to life in this poor soil and get most of the nutrients they need from the insects and other small wildlife they catch.