laura
Full Member
Posts: 11
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Post by laura on Aug 11, 2007 20:28:38 GMT
I use live mealworms for all my adult VFTs. Never had any luck with dead food no matter how hard I try to fool the plants. I look around for the smallest mealworms I can find - the bigger ones go to the Neps. They seem to work really well. The only downside is that sometimes the VFTs just aren't all that hungry. I like to load them up before they go dormant, but sometimes they'll just squeeze the life out of the critters without seeming to eat much of them. Or, the traps will open without killing them, so they'll escape. I found a beetle in my aparment about a month ago... I get live mealworms at local pet food stores - they have to be kept in the fridge. Laura
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Post by glider14 on Aug 12, 2007 6:03:40 GMT
why do you all feed your VFTs!? put em outside(where they SHOULD be) and just watch them! even on a sunny window sill VFTs catch house flies.
Alex
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Post by zpyder on Aug 12, 2007 15:14:16 GMT
My research at Uni required feeding flytraps for a few weeks. Sadly because of what I was doing, I had to use maggots. The problem with live maggots is the blighters are great at squeezing out of a tightly closed VFT trap!
In the end before the main run was due to start, I ended up deciding on feeding half maggots. It wasn't that pleasant but after cutting the first 30 or so maggots in half you get used to it.
I'm not sure what the current consensus is on "live vs. dead" food. I know that the trigger hairs require repeated stimulation after the initial triggering to close fully. However there is a good dozen or so (at least) articles spread out through the CPN back-issues that deal with the exact closing mechanism in VFT's. Several of them mention that the VFT's respond not just to mechanical stimulisation, but also to chemical. For example, Degreef (CPN, 1988) documents that a 3% saline solution causes a strong "action potential" (the signal in the trap to close).
I found that my plants traps were easily triggered by placing a half maggot inside and triggering the hairs. The juicy nature of maggots meant that an amount of maggot juice always oozed out either onto the inside of the trap or on a trigger hair. I did not observe any traps re-opening afterwards, and presume that digestion was taking place, though generally none of the traps re-opened for the experiments duration (about 5 weeks I think)
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As a side note, there were two other observations I made during the above experiment.
The first was that the plants traps progressively became more unresponsive over the weeks, which I assume is due to the poor lighting conditions in the cabinet (I am assuming a lack of light resulted in less photosynthesis and some form of transition from 'trap mode' to 'leaf mode')
The second, gorey frankenstein-esque observation, was that on halving a maggot, they stop moving almost instantly. However on placing the two halves back together, some movement often occured. This happened when putting two halves from two different maggots together as well (two-headed maggot anyone?)
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Post by Not a Number on Aug 12, 2007 17:11:13 GMT
Alex -
Not everyone lives in dwellings with outdoor areas to grow plants. The neighboring apartment to me for instance has no balcony and only a couple east facing windows. My VFTs outdoors have caught nothing on their own except a couple measly fungus gnats even though my Sarracenia are filling up with flies or what have you.
Back on topic: many people will put live insects into the freezer or refrigerator for a few minutes so the cold will slow the insect down. This makes it easier to handle the insect and less likely that the the insect will escape the trap. The trap should close tighter as the insect warms up and starts to move around more.
If the trap is accessible I give the sides a few very gentle squeeze when feeding dead or cold stunned insects. This stimulates the trigger hairs and facilitates "phase two" closure. Previously I was using a toothpick or unfolded paperclip to stimulate the trigger hairs.
I've noticed feeding something gooey like a tiny wad of rehydrated freeze-dried bloodworm often does not require further stimulation to facilitate phase 2 closure and the onset of digestion. The plants must be sampling the trapped matter in some manner.
-Warren
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Post by waldobrits on Oct 25, 2007 6:02:00 GMT
What i use for my traps are Frozen Blood worms, you get them in most pet stores. The nice thing about them are, once you de-frost a cube they are fresh and moist. i use them in fact with all my plants. When i feed the fly traps i place a thin blade of normal grass in the trap and once i feed the trap and it closes i just wiggle the grass a few times and the trap closes real tight. The Bloodworms are also low in fats and well Any fatty bug as you know are asking for a dead trap. Remember nor to over do it. Once done feeding i use the ''Bloody Water'' and pour it into my Pitchers....They love it LOL! and i would agree on the water, don't use to much...i only water my F-traps once the soil start pulling away around the pot.
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Clint
Full Member
Posts: 808
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Post by Clint on Oct 27, 2007 0:09:50 GMT
Be careful with those! I was grinding dried blood worms up with a mortar and pestle for some Drosera and Pinguicula once. I inhaled the smallest amount of dust and my throat closed up! Luckily I had plenty of Albuterol and antihistamines on hand but now I always keep an epi pen on me. That was a pretty scary evening.
The things I do for these plants. As far as feeding, I really don't feed them but they seem OK with small meal worms.
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Post by zpyder on Oct 27, 2007 10:09:32 GMT
Hmm. I remember back whilst working at an Aquatics shop, that bloodworms are an irritant, or contain an irritant, so I guess that explains things!
I used to do something a bit gross when feeding a large tank of clown loach (They absolutely love bloodworm) I'd defrost a large chunk, and pretty much scoop up the worms in my hands. it felt kinda cool. but the coolest thing was handfeeding the loach, they'd dozens would swim up and sit on your hand whilst sucking the worms up. However afterwards, my hands would itch a little (only a little, like when your hands are really cold and you've stuck them in warm water!)
Also, I remember reading somewhere about mealworms, and feeding them to lizards, that if you don't remove their heads, mealworms may be able to chew through a lizards stomach. I'm not sure whether it could apply to pitcher plants and the likes as well?
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Post by Brian Barnes on Nov 1, 2007 13:33:54 GMT
If your flytraps are in the classic "pure peat" mix that i constantly see them offered in, along with the typical "death-dome" lid....get them out of there! Half sand-half sphagnum peat mix is good.
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Post by ICPS-bob on Nov 2, 2007 2:27:53 GMT
drosera5150, over-generalization is dangerous. I have grown VFTs for over 50 years and have experimented with nearly every combination of soil -- including some very strange mixes. For my conditions and climate, I find that a commercial pure sphagnum peat works best. I can also use my local tap water because it is low in dissolved minerals.
For others growing under different conditions, different soil mixes may work better for them -- and their tap water would be deadly. I strongly suggest experimentation to determine what works best.
I concur that the domes (or covered terrariums) can lead to serious problems and should be eliminated. They probably work OK in the retail store environment to reduce evaporation and premature dessication because of inattentive sales clerks and also protects the plants from customer poking.
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Post by Brian Barnes on Nov 3, 2007 12:03:38 GMT
Hi Bob! I was mainly referring to the hoards of half dead VFT's i've seen conveniently offered here in Fl. every year around Halloween. I've rescued many from the Home Depots, etc...Botrytis seems to be the infinite end for many from neglect and improper conditions. I know that many Beginning CP'ers have their first experiences with these public offerings, and try to offer them an immediate remedy if necessary. Ahhh.... I can remember when Fl. had good tap water(and an actual Winter} for CP Those were the days...
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