[shawnintland]

Charles Clarke also explained that the mossie larvae in the pitchers are feeding on the other insects in the fluid, therefore when they mature into adult stage they have no need for a blood-meal before laying their eggs. This was the reason that they are not a problem for us.

Last weekend while hiking in Penang, we poured the contents of a few N. albomarginata upper pitchers into plastic bags to view the life forms (and death forms) inside the fluid. There were loads of mossie larvae in there as well as one relatively HUGE mossie larvae. Charles explained that this is the larvae of the (can't remember exactaly, but I think he said) "Lion" Mossie which consumes large numbers of 'regular' mossie larvae. The adults look just like a regular mossie except about 10 times the size (Don't worry, they don't bite us!). He said that putting these larvae into water trays is an effective method for ridding your trays of unwanted people biters. He also said that they will last from several weeks to months in this stage.