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Discussions about anything related to Venus Flytraps, cultivars and named clones

Moderator: Matt

By Max
Posts:  79
Joined:  Sun Apr 19, 2009 7:28 pm
#8439
what are some good insects to feed it? Are woodlice or woodlouse good? thats pretty much all that i can find...
Any good ideas on how to catch flies?
By Adam
Posts:  2892
Joined:  Sat Dec 13, 2008 4:39 am
#8445
use a glass to catch a fly. If you do it slowly, they don't see it coming.
By NZL
Posts:  489
Joined:  Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:28 am
#8475
There are only two things to take into account to decide what insects to feed the VFT.
1) the insect has to be alive
2) the size of the insect must allow for the trap to completely close, but mustn't allow the insect to escape between the teeth of the trap.
By Max
Posts:  79
Joined:  Sun Apr 19, 2009 7:28 pm
#8484
also, can you overfeed your flytrap? cause on expertvillage they said you can feed it as many times as you want as long as there are traps open...
What do you think? I know that they dont need insects to survive, but i just dont want to over feed and kill it if thats possible
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By Matt
Location: 
Posts:  22523
Joined:  Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:28 pm
#8493
I've heard that you can overfeed them and stress them by doing so, but I've not heard any personal accounts of this happening. In general, Venus fly traps do better if you just put them in a sunny spot and leave them alone. The more you mess with them, the more they are stressed. I've seen some of my plants catch insects in every open trap, so I don't think it would be a problem to feed them a lot if the plant is healthy.
By NZL
Posts:  489
Joined:  Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:28 am
#8498
The overfeeding story comes from a different angle.
You CAN overfeed a VFT, only we would rather call it "underwater" a VFT.

When a VFT has a lot of traps with prey, it consumes a lot of water. It will need more water than usual to produce all of it's digestive fluids. So as long as you intensively feed your vft, make sure to intensively water it as well.
By Adam
Posts:  2892
Joined:  Sat Dec 13, 2008 4:39 am
#8500
You also need it to have a healthy plant with lots of energy stored. The temperature has to be good too. Otherwise, other bacteria, etc will digest the insect before the VFT does. This usually results in the trap turning black and rotting along with the food inside.
By Aging_Bourbon
Location: 
Posts:  2799
Joined:  Wed Dec 31, 2008 10:14 pm
#8592
the very best insect to feel a Venus Flytrap got's to be a Fly

allen,
Counting to infinity.

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