FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

hannah36 wrote:i tested one of the other mouths to see if it would close.

Just to build on what has already been said, it is ok to test a trap here and there but I wouldn't do it regularly. Traps can only close a small number of times before they die, so triggering them needlessly can lead to an early death for the trap.

But now that the trap has a bug in it, it seals up for digestion, which can take a week or so. It is also fairly normal for the trap to die during the digestion process (especially if the bug was too big) so if it starts to turn black, dont sweat it.

magicwiser wrote:

hannah36 wrote:i tested one of the other mouths to see if it would close.

Just to build on what has already been said, it is ok to test a trap here and there but I wouldn't do it regularly. Traps can only close a small number of times before they die, so triggering them needlessly can lead to an early death for the trap.

But now that the trap has a bug in it, it seals up for digestion, which can take a week or so. It is also fairly normal for the trap to die during the digestion process (especially if the bug was too big) so if it starts to turn black, dont sweat it.

One of my flytraps once caught a bumblebee. It was nearly too big to close around, and it's a shock it fit in there at all, much less didn't manage to beat its way out. The trap was weighed all the way to the ground, and it stayed like that for nearly two weeks. I kept checking on it obsessively to see if it would be okay, and though the trap turned various shades of sickly yellow and lime green in the process, it was able to digest the thing. It did open up again after it finished, but it seemed that as soon as it finished the chore, it was done, and died.

So, big bugs don't necessarily mean the trap will die, but... I definitely don't recommend it. I could tell that it definitely took a lot out of my plant to deal with that monster, and all things considered, it would have been better if I'd snapped it off and let a new trap grow in its place instead.

I was wondering, if there is any harm to feeding aphids to VFTs. The thought occurred to me while I was flicking some off rose buds, and thought that they were small enough to fit into the young VFT I have, since it doesn't seem to like soaked dried blood worms very much.

Vern wrote:I was wondering, if there is any harm to feeding aphids to VFTs. The thought occurred to me while I was flicking some off rose buds, and thought that they were small enough to fit into the young VFT I have, since it doesn't seem to like soaked dried blood worms very much.

Probably not a good idea, because aphids are a pest to flytraps, too.

If your pot is outside, lift it up every so often and you'll probably find roly polies (isopods) underneath it. Those seem to work pretty well. Or you could do what we all did as kids, and lift up rocks in your back yard to find bugs.

Flytraps prefer live bugs.

I wouldn't put my flytraps anywhere near aphids, they can become a big problem by sucking the life out of a flytrap and set back or possibly kill them.

I generally wait til night time and catch moths and bugs that are attracted to the porch light. Or sometimes Ill just put the traps themselves directly under the light and let them catch their own food.

Alright, Aphids are off the menu.

I would think ants would be alright though right? My VFT very likely does not even need to be fed, since rhizome and all its only about an inch tall, and an 1.5 inch across in diameter, traps are just shy of a 1cm, their traps are always half open, so I doubt they would catch anything on their own at the moment. I only wonder because its getting warmer out, ants and other insects are emerging and figured I could give it a morsel maybe every few weeks or so.

picture

Good thing I don't have to worry about my sundew, I left it outside yesterday while I went to work came back to find a almost 6 fruit flies or similar sized stuck to its leaves.

Vern wrote:Alright, Aphids are off the menu.

I would think ants would be alright though right? My VFT very likely does not even need to be fed, since rhizome and all its only about an inch tall, and an 1.5 inch across in diameter, traps are just shy of a 1cm, their traps are always half open, so I doubt they would catch anything on their own at the moment. I only wonder because its getting warmer out, ants and other insects are emerging and figured I could give it a morsel maybe every few weeks or so.

picture

Good thing I don't have to worry about my sundew, I left it outside yesterday while I went to work came back to find a almost 6 fruit flies or similar sized stuck to its leaves.

I would for sure hold off on feeding it until it gets bigger. Keep in mind too that VFTs never need to be fed. They will grow just fine with only water and sunlight. Bugs are just like extra fertilizer for the plant.

Ants are good eating though, as long as they are the right size