FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Somehow some wasps (or maybe hornets?) got into my screened porch and a time or two I have noticed them around the flytraps. When I went out there later almost all the traps were closed with nothing inside, like the prey got away. It does appear one was caught, but I think it's probably too big and the trap will eventually rot.

Is it some kind of game the wasps play? Has anybody had this problem?

if i see a wasp hanging out of my traps i snip off whats hanging out with scissors and push it into the trap all the way.

No it’s because they fly away before the trap can fully close. Not a game

oval wrote:Somehow some wasps (or maybe hornets?) got into my screened porch and a time or two I have noticed them around the flytraps. When I went out there later almost all the traps were closed with nothing inside, like the prey got away. It does appear one was caught, but I think it's probably too big and the trap will eventually rot.

Is it some kind of game the wasps play? Has anybody had this problem?

Wasps and hard shell bugs seem to kill traps. They won't kill the plant, just the trap. I agree about pushing them in to the trap to get a solid seal... If you have the time.
Here in NC it's very hot and the wasps are drinking water out of the trays. They also smell the sweetness coming from the fly traps so they float over top of the traps looking for something sweet. Wasps and bees are more pollinators than food for fly traps. Like a moth, they just bounce on top of the traps enough to trigger the trap but don't normally get caught.
I get it's irritating that the traps are tripped. Mine would grow more if I fed them more, but I like to see the traps open.

Hmmmm. That may be what is happening to my plants. I constantly see the traps in a state of being partially closed, but not completely and certainly not sealed. It makes sense now that I think about it. Besides, bees and wasps are a bit to large for my plants to even begin thinking of ensnaring successfully within their traps. Especially the bumblebees.

These pollinators are far more suited to fertilizing the flowers and tomato plants we have around the house anyways.

i look at my traps at least once a day, they will go a week with no empty triggers then 1 day i will have 5+ its weird. and most of the exoskeletons after reopening are flies not much else. my main issue with with sarracenia something is getting trapped and tearing out the sides of pitchers to get out.

optique wrote:i look at my traps at least once a day, they will go a week with no empty triggers then 1 day i will have 5+ its weird. and most of the exoskeletons after reopening are flies not much else. my main issue with with sarracenia something is getting trapped and tearing out the sides of pitchers to get out.

I don't have a lot of experience with pitcher plants. But I did just read the suggestion that you take a piece of fabric like women's hose and wad a piece up and stick it in the pitcher in order to keep the bug out. I think bugs blowing up pitchers is pretty common. But the bugs that do it are not around all year. Re/ JuneJapanese beetles are just around a short time.

It happens to me. But they don't trigger the traps or anything. They kinda sit there like the degenerates they are

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Those hyperactive blue mud wasps will flick around tripping every one of my traps and rarely get caught. It does seem like they are playing a risky game of catch me if you can but in really they are attracted to the damp soil that they use to build their nests.

It's rare for VFTs to catch wasps or bees. Mainly because they are tough, very strong insects, they can literally push themselves out of the trap when it closes.

Mine caught a few last year and were successful but it was rare.

FlyTrap Hunter wrote:Here in NC it's very hot and the wasps are drinking water out of the trays. They also smell the sweetness coming from the fly traps so they float over top of the traps looking for something sweet.

Yep, that is exactly what's happening. Today I was checking water levels in the trays and a wasp was in there drinking - then he chased me halfway across the porch.