I'm pretty sure the answer is "no", although I don't think I've ever grown them indoors without occasionally tossing in the odd bug. Outside, they catch a huge number of insects, far more than my flytraps. Which reminds me, I have to bring the pitcher plants in soon as we are starting to get frosts, and I need to wash out the pitchers... they can get kind of stinky sometimes if they aren't cleaned out.

On a somewhat related note, my sense with Nepenthes ventricosa, is that the leaves get very pale unless the pitchers do get the occasional insect.. which reminds me again, I haven't fed them all summer, should do that.
-Don

Mmmmmm... pitcher plants....
{{gwi:549301}}

I find it particularly hard to resist the urge to just toss them a bug every now and then. Many times, even though you may not notice, there are gnats, flies, and untold numbers of insects inside your house at any given time. Plants I've had indoors caught everything from stray wasps that flew in, to fruit flies in the compost, lured flies from the window sills. It's safe to say they'll manage to get plenty of food on their own, but if not feeding them is perfectly alright.

Most are able to use light to photosynthesize (i.e., make some of their own food), and bugs are really just like dessert to them. Give them strong light, and they'll likely do fine.

Hi kmmanship,

Pitcher plants can usually attract enough insect fertilizer for themselves, but dropping an insect in a pitcher every long once in a while will not hurt anything.

What type of Pitcher Plant do you have? A Sarracenia would do best outside in full sun if your area permits. They are North American temperates that can stand temperatures up to 100 degrees and can adapt to a wide range of humidity levels.

If you have a Nepenthes, it will do well in a sunny window or under a florescent light. Nepenthes need more insect prey than other carnivorous plants, seeming to derive greater benefits from cathing insects, but they do tend to catch enough inside. If in doubt, just feed it the odd spider or ant every few weeks.

As long as they are outside, they don't need any help from us. I always see yellow jackets and wasps flying around them.