Fight fruit flies with butterwort

This is how the butterwort catches fruit flies and other insects

Butterwort forms leaves that are arranged in a rosette. There are small glands on the leaves that secrete a sticky liquid. Insects such as fruit flies and fungus gnats stick to this secretion.

The visitors so trapped are by enzymes digestedso that after a few days only the chitin shells remain. The nutrients Pinguicula gets from food are stored in the leaves.

In summer, fruit flies can often be found on herbs and fruit stored in the kitchen, so that the butterwort is well supplied with meat. In winter there are few insects, but the nutrients stored during the summer will easily last until the next year.

Butterwort in the kitchen to combat fruit flies

Fruit flies are particularly common in the kitchen near fruit, vegetables and herbs. By placing pots with butterwort, the pests can be kept in check in a non-toxic way.

• Set up bright but not sunny
• Keep the substrate moist
• do not fertilize

The biggest problem is the lighting in the kitchen. Butterwort needs a lot of light, but does not like direct sunlight at the window. Place the potty near the window. You will achieve the greatest success if you place the butterwort between the fruits and vegetables.

The substrate must always be moist, especially in summer. In the worst case, this can lead to mold growth in the kitchen.

Keep butterwort in the herb bed

Pests also often spread in the herb patch in the garden. Butterwort is also a good control solution here.

Do not plant the butterwort directly in the soil so that you can better estimate the moisture requirements of Pinguicula. Most herbs need a rather dry soil, which the butterwort does not get.