The Venus fly trap can trap its flies for survival in the wild. However, if you keep the Venus flytrap as a houseplant, especially as an indoor houseplant, there may be a lack of flies to prey on. So, the best way to ensure the survival of your Venus flytrap is to provide it with insects artificially.
However, there are several options to select from when it comes to providing food for your Venus flytrap. You can provide dead, freeze-dried insects or even live flies for your plant.
Type of Insects
The Venus flytrap requires insects that are high in nitrogen content. It is because the plant originates from an environment where the nitrogen content of the soil is extremely low.
So, the ideal insects to feed your Venus flytrap would be insects such as crickets, bugs, and bees. These insects have high nitrogen content in them that can be easily assimilated by the plant. Thus, the needs of the Venus flytrap get fulfilled, and the plant grows well.
Live Insects
Feeding your Venus flytrap live insects may be an exciting activity. While live insects may seem creepy, they are the natural food of the Venus flytrap. So, if you want to give the plant the food it likes, it would be live insects. Further, live insects tend to struggle a lot once trapped, and it allows the Venus flytrap to naturally tighten and seal the traps shut. Live insects also can be trapped naturally by the plant and you don’t have to artificially stimulate the trap to close it.
However, live insects can be tricky to feed, if the plant is not using a terrarium as the insects may escape and be a cause of nuisance. If you have a terrarium, simply release the insect inside it and cover the terrarium with a net to prevent it from escaping. The plant will use its nectar to draw the fly and capture the insect by itself.
How to catch live insects for Venus fly trap?
You can either buy live insects from the store or capture them yourself. The easiest way is to place a single bulb right above a tub of water and place it outside. Ensure that it is dark and the bulb is the only source of light. The light would attract the insects, and they would fall into the water below. You can easily collect those flies and use them to trap the insects.
Another idea is to use store-bought insect trappers that work on the same principle. However, making it at home is always a cheaper alternative.
However, be very careful about the size of the insect you feed to your Venus flytrap. It should not be larger than one-third of the size of the trap for it to close completely. If catching live insects seems complicated, you can always buy freeze-dried insects available at your nearest gardening store. But you need to carefully stimulate the trap, for it to close and digest dead insects.
Thus, this is how you can trap live insects to feed your Venus flytrap.