Having plants that eat bugs on your bookcase will provide you with beauty, creativity, and enjoyment, as well as eating those pesky insects!
But how can you cultivate them? Carnivorous plants are evolved to survive in nitrogen-deficient soil, which is why they consume bugs to absorb them.
They mainly originate from exotic locations such as Southeast Asia and South America, although some do arrive from more temperate areas as well. Growing them is not the same as growing other plants. So, just keep reading to uncover a wide variety of bug-eating plants to pick from, as well as some instructions to ensure you don’t wind up “killing your live insect trap!”
Why You Should Think About Including Carnivorous Plants in Your Garden
Pests are an unavoidable part of life. While certain pests may be treated with utilizing homemade traps or non-toxic insecticides, others are extremely difficult to combat on our own. It may sound insane, but fighting fire with fire and encouraging carnivorous plants is one efficient strategy to cope with these pests. Using synthetic pesticides to control pests endangers human health and is counterproductive.
Pesticides, at worst, can develop a new generation of superbugs that are chemical-resistant and extremely difficult to kill. So, if pesticides are so dangerous, how can we safeguard our homes? Carnivorous plants, on the other hand, are just what you’re searching for! They consume insects that are hazardous to your plants.
What Bugs Can They Get Rid Of?
Carnivorous plants, in addition to the typical housefly, may chew through and eliminate various pests that are a threat to your other more delicate indoor plants. Here are a few examples of the most common:
Thrips
Thrips are small green bugs that primarily feed on plant sap and can harm both indoor and outdoor plants. These critters wreak havoc on whatever organic plant material they can get their hands on—thrips attack by putting their mouthparts into a plant’s leaves or stems and sucking off moisture.
Earwigs
Earwigs are mainly good since they consume other insects, but they can be damaging if they graze on vegetables and other plants, such as mums, clematis, and dahlias. There’s an ancient rumor that they creep into people’s ears and inflict damage, but don’t worry, these tiny creatures aren’t that bad! However, it is critical that you protect your plants against earwigs.
Fungus gnats
Fungus gnats are little flies that live in soil, potting soil, and other organic breakdown sources. Their larvae mostly feed on organic debris in the soil and chew roots, making them a nuisance in greenhouses, nurseries, potted plants, and indoor plant capes. If they are not caught promptly, they may be a nuisance.
Plants that Eat Bugs?
Carnivorous plants that consume insects or other tiny animals may look bizarre and evil, but keep in mind that they acquired this capacity to live. These plants are common in bogs, heaths, and swamps, which are known for their nutrient-depleted soils. In certain cases, a plant’s only means of survival is to feed insects or other small animals. As a coping mechanism, these plants evolved strategies to supplement their meals with meat rather than relying on the conventional method of acquiring energy, which was absorbing nutrients from the soil. Here are some interesting and rare carnivorous plants.
Pitcher Plant
They are carnivorous plants with modified leaves that operate as pitfall traps, which are prey-catching devices with a deep chamber filled with digesting fluids. Ants, flies, wasps, beetles, slugs, and snails are all eaten by pitcher plants. Frogs, rats, and lizards have all been reported to be eaten by large pitcher plants. The skin of the frogs’ feet is the only component that the plant does not devour, so all that remains of frogs trapped by this plant are tiny frog slippers.
Source: Wikipedia
Cobra Lily
California pitcher plant is closely related to other carnivorous pitcher plants. The most common name was given to the flower because it resembles the head of a cobra snake poised to strike. Because of its unusual appearance, cobra lily is a pleasant plant to raise for the sake of uniqueness.
Pitcher plants kill insects by storing water in a particular leaf structure fashioned like a pitcher. Small hairs pointing downward keep the bug from fleeing. The cobra lily, which is native to southern Oregon and Northern California, can grow up to 39 inches (1 meter) tall. Since this plant is a bit hand full when cultivating indoors, you can always admire them on a hike in a native area.
Sundew
Sundews are attractive plants named for the sparkling secretions that cover the hairs that protrude from the leaf. Sundews, unlike many pitcher plants, respond to touch by physically stretching out their hair-like tentacles to catch the bug. The leaves of some species may wrap up and around the insect. Except for Antarctica, sundews of various varieties are found on every continent. They range in size from microscopic plants the size of a cent to species the size of small shrubs.
Venus Flytrap
The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant in North and South Carolina on the United States East Coast. If an unwary insect brushes its tiny hairs twice, the leaves of the Venus flytrap snap shut. Flytraps have a bad reputation for being difficult to care for, but the idea is to attempt to mimic their natural environment. It prefers warmer climates, though it can survive in temperatures as low as the low 40s F. Humidity is also vital, albeit not as much as in other carnivorous plants.
The Venus flytrap is a cunning carnivorous plant that attracts insects into its lethal chamber, catches them, eats them, and then expels them. Venus flytraps like nutrient-poor soil, which is why they rely on insects for survival. Despite the fact that flytraps are carnivorous, they may go for lengthy periods of time (a month or two) without consuming insects. If you grow them outside, they’ll get plenty to eat on their own. If you’re cultivating Venus flytraps inside, you’ll need to feed them bugs on a regular basis.
Bladderworts
Utricularia, sometimes known as bladderworts, is a genus of carnivorous plants that includes roughly 233 species. When bladderworts are hungry, they exude seductive odors from sac-like structures linked to their submerged mass of roots. When a curious prey approaches to inspect the odor, the bladder swallows them up, and digestion begins. The bladderwort has a trap that is as quick as the blink of an eye. It snatches its prey with tremendous suction. Bladderwort traps its food by waiting for prey creatures (mostly tiny crustaceans) to touch trigger hairs on the trapdoor, which seals the trap airtight.
Monkey Cup
Nepenthes is a genus of carnivorous plants that feed on insects and small animals. It is also known as a tropical pitcher plant. Because monkeys have been seen drinking from the plant, it is also known as the “monkey cup.” The pitcher is really a bulge in the mid-vein of the leaf. Insects are attracted to these pitchers because of the nectar secretions and the color of the pitcher.
The prey is drawn to the monkey cup traps by a mix of nectar, the stench of sweetness or decay, and, on occasion, the color red. The trap has steep sides and a thin rim that frequently slopes down into the cup. Growing pitcher plants is simple if you keep a few things in mind. Pitcher plants have an odd morphology and a carnivorous nature due to nutritional deficits in their natural soil. Because the areas where they thrive are nitrogen-deficient, the plant captures insects to collect their nitrogen.
Waterwheel Plant
Waterwheel plant, a less visually appealing bug-eating plant, retains its allure. In some ways, the name is accurate because it resembles some of the water plants seen in aquariums. It has long, ropy green stems, withdrawn flat leaves, and green hairs coming off them at regular intervals. The long and thin green “hairs” of the waterwheel plant are used to grab small invertebrates that swim in the water.
Since this insectivorous plant is unlike any other, it has no roots and lives in the water. It doesn’t need to be watered or cleaned because it looks good in an aquarium or a bowl of water. It’s also a one-of-a-kind plant since it’s the last surviving species of its genus, and it’s an endangered species, so cultivating some will help to ensure its survival.
Please let us know if you know other plants that eat bugs we should include in this post!