Mosquito larvae swimming in my nep....

[edwardyeeks]

Hi guys, as what the title suggests to all of your imaginative minds.......

MOSQUITO LARVAE SWIMMING IN MY.......nep truncata and nep ventrata.

I know it is common, but I wonder, when the larvaes mature and become REAL mosquitoes, will the mosquitoes die? I do not want a lot of mosquitoes to grow in my house.

Cheers

[David]

Someone asked this question to Dr. Charles Clark and Ch'ien Lee during the talks at the CP Competition in Penang and they told us that the mosquito species that lays its eggs in the pitcher fluid is a species that do not bite humans. The larva of the ones that do bite us and spread the dengue fever cannot survive in the acidic pithcer fluid.

[David]

Forgot to add, they also said that it only owrks when the pitchers are fresh when the fluid inside is acidic. When the pitcher stats to die and turn brown it does nto produce anymore liquid. Any water inside would be from the rain. As such dengue mosquitos could breed in the pitchers.

So, cut off old pitchers from your collection to prevent dengue mosquito from breeding.

[Cindy]

Just to add that female Aedes mosquitoes are very particular about where they lay their eggs. Not in murky digestive juice but rather clear water. However, because N. ampullaria pitchers collect rain water with their reclined lids, Aedes larvae have been found in them.

The best way to keep mozzies at bay is to use granular insecticide in pitchers with opening 1" and larger. Otherwise, just make sure that rain water doesn't fill the pitcher up and dilute the digestive juices. And cut away old half-brown or totally brown pitchers. They don't look nice anyway.

[poeyleng]

The mosquito larvae wouldn't grow on it, if the pitcher doesn't fill up with rain water or other water. So, I put my Nepenthes plant under the roof. When I watering the Nepenthes plant, I just watering to the soil or medium only.

[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.

[NepNut]

All of us that are into neps will be more familiar interms nep's interaction with the surrounding ecology.

The problem is the ppl from city council or health department, they won't care what kind of mossie larvae, situation will become even worse in high population density area with dengue outbreak. So better be safe than sorry, if a pitcher got mossie larvaes, just discard it's content or cut it off if it's already old.