Carnivorous plant that eats ants

[Nick_27]

I am having a lot of ants enter into my kitchen. I am not a fun of using all the chemicals to kill them so is there any plants you guys know that attract ants? It would be in the house so that is another factor. I was thinking maybe a sundew but i am not sure. Thank you again.

Nick

 

[Dexenthes]

Sometimes certain Nepenthes that produce lots of nectar can catch lots of ants. I think something like N. sanguinea can attract and trap lots of ants sometimes. It really depends on the type of ants and whether they decide to lead their expeditions towards the pitchers or not. . .

 

[theplantman]

Sarracenia are top-notch ant trappers. However, keep in mind ants have to (1) have time to find, identify, and report back to the nest that the pitchers bear food (nectar) and (2) be able to climb onto the pitcher structure. Meaning if you have plants sitting in a moat of water, they won't catch anything. Think little bridges with sticks, undrained pots, etc.

 

[SubRosa]

Sarracenia are top-notch ant trappers. However, keep in mind ants have to (1) have time to find, identify, and report back to the nest that the pitchers bear food (nectar) and (2) be able to climb onto the pitcher structure. Meaning if you have plants sitting in a moat of water, they won't catch anything. Think little bridges with sticks, undrained pots, etc.

Report back? After finding the nectar in a pitcher?

 

[DragonsEye]

Report back? After finding the nectar in a pitcher?

hehe .... How about "on/around the peristome or operculum"?

 

[SerMuncherIV]

While it is true that many species of carnivorous plants are exceptionally adept at trapping large quantities of ants, they are hardly a viable choice for population control. Simply put, the nature of ant colonies prevents them from being wiped out by one large Nepenthes specimen. Typically, a worker female will be drawn from its foraging path to the nectar on the pitcher, leaving a trail of pheromones in its wake. When it reports back to the nest with news of its findings, large amounts of workers will then follow the pheromone trail to the pitcher, giving it a buffet course of ants. The issue is that while the pitcher kills dozens of worker ants, it does not touch the queen, who lays the eggs. The loss of worker ants is also minimally detrimental to the nest, as the number of ants lost to pitchers is negligible. There is actually a theory that ant colonies and pitcher plants form a sort of symbiotic relationship; the colonies sacrifice individual workers in return for the nectar that many workers actually make it back to the nest with. So again, cps will not wipe out your ant infestation - it might even make it worse, as they attract ants to their location.

 

[fredg]

Over the years I've found that the mallet plant is effective against ants. It has a woody stem and a woody bulbous head which is flat on two sides. Not too many ants survive when it's on a feeding frenzy.

 

[SubRosa]

Over the years I've found that the mallet plant is effective against ants. It has a woody stem and a woody bulbous head which is flat on two sides. Not too many ants survive when it's on a feeding frenzy.

Of course the root system is critical to the performance of the plant.

 

[Whimgrinder]

If you have a BIG colony of ants troubling you, no CP is going to provide anything even close to controlling the population. A couple of hungry Sarracenia or Nepenthes won't even make a dent in the colony.

 

[SubRosa]

Hybridizing a Sarr or Nep with a Walking Iris could make for a plant capable of seeking out the colony. Introducing some cannabis genetics could greatly increase the plant's nutritional needs, and its effectiveness. If you can get the plant out of its bed of course.

 

[SerMuncherIV]

That plant would give Audrey II a run for its money. I applaud your devilishly creative mind.