FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Sponsored by FlytrapStore.com

Discuss any carnivorous plant that doesn't fit in the above categories here or general chat about carnivorous plants

Moderator: Matt

By Sakaaaaa
Posts:  1021
Joined:  Thu May 12, 2016 2:18 pm
#297775
How do I catch LIVE flies? Fruit flies or houseflies, I dont care. As long as they are alive and easy to grab with tweezers. All the traps I've seen on the web kill the flies. I know I can just feed sundews dead ants (which is much easier than live flies) but it isn't fun. My little VFT also likes live bugs much more than dead bugs (I will feed fruit flies to him, he is still small).
"Just buy flypaper"
I am looking for something diy.
Also I don't actually want to raise the flies. Ew.
By Dewy the Sundew
Posts:  292
Joined:  Sat May 14, 2016 6:14 am
#297776
Hmmm. I used to have a inward bottle trap with banana peels inside that attracts fruit flies. The n once there is a good amount, I put them in the fridge for a few minutes so that they will be slower and easier to catch.

Sent from my LG-H650 using Tapatalk
By Dewy the Sundew
Posts:  292
Joined:  Sat May 14, 2016 6:14 am
#297781
Sakaaaaa wrote:You're back! :D I will try that for sure.
Yep I am back. Ill be getting new plants to fill up the empty space of my lost ones. Image

Sent from my LG-H650 using Tapatalk
By slinx
Posts:  62
Joined:  Fri Jun 16, 2017 7:00 pm
#297783
If you mean that your Dionaea doesn't close all the way if you feed it a dead bug, it's because it only closes all the way if the trigger hairs are touched multiple times over a couple of minutes (which would be the sign of a live bug trying to escape, rather than rain or a stick that accidentally triggered the trap). To work around this you can put the dead bug in the trap and lightly push and rub on the sides of the trap for a while so the trigger hairs get stimulated enough. A toothpick works just as well if you keep rubbing the trigger hairs with it - you'll notice the trap quickly getting tighter as you keep triggering the hairs.
By Sakaaaaa
Posts:  1021
Joined:  Thu May 12, 2016 2:18 pm
#297802
slinx wrote:s.nip
I know this. I just like it when the bug moves around on the inside.

Flies caught so far with bottle:
1 fruitfly
By Fishkeeper
Posts:  781
Joined:  Sat Dec 03, 2016 10:59 pm
#297808
Take a plastic bottle, remove the lid, and cut the top third of it off in one intact cone. Turn the top part upside-down and wedge it into the bottom part, and you'll have a funnel leading down into a container. Put fly bait (smelly food) into the container, then set it in an area with a lot of flies, like around an outdoor trash can or picnic. Tada!
By Sakaaaaa
Posts:  1021
Joined:  Thu May 12, 2016 2:18 pm
#297821
Fishkeeper wrote:Inverse Bottle Instructions
Exactly what Dewy said. But whatever. It's caugt sooo many flies and 3 ants while I was in school. It's really working!! Can't wait until I have enough traps.
Shadowtski wrote:Get a butterfly net. Give it to a young niece or nephew. Promise them a bounty paid for every fly they catch. Sit back and watch the entertainment.

Good growing,
Mike
Hmmm... interesting. What should the bounty be?
User avatar
By Shadowtski
Location: 
Posts:  4720
Joined:  Tue Mar 22, 2016 8:19 am
#297822
Hmmm... interesting. What should the bounty be?

I don't know, something young kids would like.

Maybe give them the privilege of actually popping the fly into the flytrap.

It's been too many years since I dealt with little kids.

Good growing,
Mike
Shadowtski liked this
By Sakaaaaa
Posts:  1021
Joined:  Thu May 12, 2016 2:18 pm
#297823
Shadowtski wrote:
I don't know, something young kids would like.

Maybe give them the privilege of actually popping the fly into the flytrap.

It's been too many years since I dealt with little kids.
I'm thinking up of a game here...
-----------------------------
Bug Catcher
How to play: Catch as many bugs as you can!
Rules:
1.Don't kill the bugs
2.You can use anything to catch the bugs
Points list*:
-Ant: 5 points
-Fly: 10
-Mosquito: 20
-Locust/Grasshopper: 15
-Small Spider: 10
-Butterfly/Moth: 10
-Worm: -5
-Small beetle: 15
-Anything else: 30 (You won't feed them to the traps tho)
Prizes:
5-20 points: Candy bar + Feeding Nepenthes/Sarracenia/Darlingtonia/Cephalotus/Heliamphora/Catopsis/Brocchinia
20-35 points: Candy bar + Feeding Drosera/Pinguicula/Byblis/Roridula/Drosophyllum
35-50 points: Candy bar + Feeding Flytrap
50-100: Candy bar + Feeding 3 plants of choice
Above 100: Candy bar + Free plant (Consult with parents)
*Adjust points to your environment.
Last edited by Sakaaaaa on Tue Jul 11, 2017 8:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
Sakaaaaa liked this
User avatar
By boarderlib
Posts:  1641
Joined:  Fri Dec 04, 2015 1:13 pm
#297828
I would be leery of encouraging kids to catch spiders. Some places don't exactly have the nicest spiders.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
By Sakaaaaa
Posts:  1021
Joined:  Thu May 12, 2016 2:18 pm
#297867
boarderlib wrote:I would be leery of encouraging kids to catch spiders. Some places don't exactly have the nicest spiders.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Alright. See my original post. Edited.
By Sakaaaaa
Posts:  1021
Joined:  Thu May 12, 2016 2:18 pm
#297868
Question: If I freeze the flies so they slow down and I can catch them, will they eventually "thaw out" and be normal again? I have traps to feed, but too many flies. Also how long can those guys live in there?
User avatar
By Rammplins
Location: 
Posts:  417
Joined:  Fri Apr 21, 2017 6:28 pm
#297870
when I catch a fly I put him in the fridge, that slows them down enough for me. I found that most of the time they don't survive the freezer......plus im a little forgetful and tend to leave them in there longer than I should, so that doesn't help.
Drosera germination time

Wow! Thank you very much, everyone!

I'm seeing a similar thing with nearly all of mi[…]

More additions! Thanks Secretariat73! S. leucophy[…]

Transaction with Secretariat73

I must concur. Despite the best efforts of our dea[…]

So far, not less than five days apart. Humidity va[…]

Argh! Just 4 days left in the photo contest and we[…]

SASE received. Order is fulfilled. Return envelope[…]

My Sarracenia x moorei 'Red Velvet' is turning out[…]

Support the community - Shop at FlytrapStore.com!