Expert: Christopher Littrell - 6/6/2007

Question
Hi Christopher,

i'm hoping you can help me, i would just like to know can you feed venus fly traps (dionea) maggots?

I look forward to your answer.

Regards,

Sara

Answer
Hello Sara,

Venus Flytraps really do not need feeding, particularly since they will catch their own insects quite efficiently if they are not cloistered in a terrarium or humidity dome. If they have been slowly adapted to low humidity and full sun outside as an open air potted plant, they will likely catch so many flies that you won't even see a trap open very often.

In any event, some growers simply cannot grow these temperate full sun plants outdoors if they live in a region that is too hot (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit)or too cold (still wintery) this time of year so feeding might occasionally be necessary if there are few insects in your home. If the plant does not catch anything for a couple of weeks to a month, you can try maggots by using a toothpick or tweezers to maneuver the maggot into a trap. Once it is in the trap, carefully brush the inside of the trap (where the 6-8 trigger hairs are in the middle of the leaf) a couple of times and the trap should close readily if it is healthy. Make sure the trap is about three or four times the size of the prey item. Next, since maggots do not move much, you might have to use a hair, length of string, or light guage wire to further stimulate the inside of the leaf through the teeth for about a minute so that the trigger hairs know that something live is inside the trap. It will then proceed to the narrowing phase (in about 30 minutes) which is the phase in which the leaf closes tighter and secretes digestive enzymes and preservatives to drown and break down the prey. Only feed the plant once every couple of weeks at most and only one leaf at a time.

If you are simply worried that the plant needs to eat, it does not need insects half as much as strong sunlight, acidic sphagnum peat moss mixed with 50/50 perlite for soil, and clean, mineral free water. If unable to grow the plant in direct sun outside, progressively place it in sunnier windows until it is in the sunniest window in your home and place about 6000 to 12000 lumens of cool white florescent lighting over it about 3-4 inches from the leaves for 16 hours a day. Venus Flytraps really need intense light like a garden plant or rose bush so weaken indoors over time unless you can bring the sun to them. Without strong enough light, the traps would slow down and be unable to digest prey anyway, so feeding would be a moot point.

I hope this information helps you with your Venus Flytrap.

Christopher