Nepenthes: Nature’s Pest Control

Do you hate gnats and ants invading your living space?  Pesticides can take them out swiftly, but that exposes you and your family to harmful chemicals.  A safer alternative is to use biological control, such as placing carnivorous plants in affected areas.  Nepenthe is an excellent defense for your pest problem.

Nepenthes have roughly 150 species and numerous natural and cultivated hybrids.  They have been around since the Jurassic period and have evolved to be sophisticated insect eaters.  Growers also call them the Asian pitcher plants because they grow predominantly in Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore.  They have hourglass shaped pitchers with a lid around the pitcher opening.  The pitcher is actually a swelling mid-vein in the leaf.

Nepenthes secrete a nectar odor to lure a prey into their pitchers.  Once inside the slippery rim and inner walls of a pitcher, the prey is immobilized and eventually falls into the fluid trap.  The liquid is an enzyme for digesting the prey.  Nepenthes get sufficient nourishment from their prey, so they do not require any fertilizer.  If nepenthes do not catch any insects for a long time, this may slow down their growth, but they do not starve to death because they can produce food via photosynthesis.  Nepenthes are an effective pest control, but it kills indiscriminately, so you may want to place it strategically to avoid beneficial insects getting too close.

Nepenthes grow well in both indoors and outdoors.  Growers group them into lowland and highland species based on the altitude of various nepenthes’ habitats.  In general, they do well between 65 oF – 80 oF during the day.  At night, the lowland species like temperatures above 70 oF while highland species prefer between 45 oF - 65 oF.  Both species need protection if temperatures dip below 40 oF.  Nepenthes light requirements vary with individual species, and they usually need some light, so avoid full shade.  Nepenthes need well drainage soil.

To fight back insect invasion, arm yourself with a nepenthes plant.