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In Singapore, the cultivation of CPs poses another problem - the tray system of watering that is used also serves as an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes, and you may be fined by the relevant authorities (NEA - National Environmental Agency) if any mosquito larvae are found on your premises. Some of my friends on the CP Listserv have previously expressed their surprise at such an ineffective and draconian practice, and I myself find it hilarious to see a troop of grown men struggling to catch a couple of bugs, but unfortunately we still have to do our part (i.e. follow the rules).
If you have just a small collection, it's feasible to tip out and replace the water in the tray once every 2 days. I have 6 x 4 feet trays worth of CPs in the garden, and it's painfully boring to do this pour-and-replace routine. At one point in time I installed automatic irrigators to jet water into the tray once every few hours so that it won't be stagnant, but it involved wastage of large amounts of water, and I could only use tap water in this system. Using the age-old method of adding a layer of surface oil is a strict no-no for CPs.
I found a viable alternative eventually, which came in the form of Mosquito Dunks. The active ingredient is Bacillus thuringienis ssp. israelensis or BTI in short, which is a bacteria that selectively infects and kills mosquito larvae. Each of these dunks last about 1 month and cover a 100 square foot area. Other than the ring-shaped dunks, BTI also comes in the form of granules. Initially I had my reservations about using BTI, as the product label only says it contains 89.69% "inert ingredients", but does not list exactly what. I initially tried it on several pots of D.intermedia, D.nidiformis and D.muscipula, and all grew normally with no adverse reaction for one growth season. That did it for me - I now use BTI granules periodically with complete peace of mind. The granules and even the ring form tends to float and disperse after some time, so I usually tie them up in some filter cloth before placing it in the tray. It works wonders, and now I only have to deal with pesky NEA inspectors who still continue making a fuss about standing water, and who appear to be ignorant about BTI even though mosquito control is supposed to be their area of specialty.
And now you wonder - could mosquito control in Singapore be a lot more sensible if the government were to distribute BTI dunks/granules to all households, instead of hiring urban rats who freak out at seeing dead flies trapped in a Nepenthes pitcher? |
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Mosquito Control