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Moths = Bad

  • Thread starter Snapper
  • Start date
I fed my vfts last week and gave one of the bigger traps a grey moth. It was kind of fat and soft-bodied and fit into the trap just fine, but the wings stuck out a little bit. About 4 days later the trap has started turning black. I'm hoping the plant still gets something out of the deal, or I've just lost a good trap for nothing. It's so hard to find the perfect bug.
 
being plump and juicy is good, sticking out of the trap is bad.............. Don't try that one again.
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I heard that towards winter time moths start to produce some sort of acid for mateing and it can kill the traps.

About a month ago I fed my trap a moth. The moth was alive and kicking but the next day the trap opened back up on me. Guess its legs didn't irritate the trigger points enough.
 
The bug needs to be smaller than the trap.

What happened is the bug started to rot, and/or bacteria entered into the trap ( since it wasn't closed all the way ) and killed the trap.

If it happens again, just cut off the trap, but leave the stem. It will still help the plant make food ( photosynthesis ).

veggita2099:

You are probably right, if the bug was too small, then it couldn't brush the hairs and the plant thought it wasn't a bug
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I think moths are to fatty (like hamberger) for flytraps. I've had some accidental moth ketchings and even if the moth fits well in the trap it will blacken and die. Often times their is an oily ooze in it and uh I'm grossing myself out.
 
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Darcie @ Sep. 24 2002,6:48)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I think moths are to fatty (like hamberger) for flytraps.  I've had some accidental moth ketchings and even if the moth fits well in the trap it will blacken and die.  Often times their is an oily ooze in it and uh I'm grossing myself out.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Yes exactly, my trap turned black and slimy and some little white bugs are eating at it. The moth must carry some bad juju. The rest of the plant is super healthy and a trap right next to it is eating a bug with no prob at all. I was just hoping that it would salvage something good from the dying leaf.
I noticed that they do not like ants either. They spit them back out mostly intact but dead. I'm seriously considering feeding them spiders to see how that goes.
 
The traps has to be AIR TIGHT before it will actually degiste that bug so nothing can be sticking out of it i'd try to feed it a lady bug or maybe a smaller moth...or pull the wings off of the moth before you put it in the trap so tehy don't stick out.
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Kyle
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The only things that I have seen my VFT's eat and be ok are:

flies ( duh
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mosquitoes
mosquito hawks
crickets


I haven't really seen them catch anything else around here
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Small spiders seem to be ok as well. I've fed my VFTs several small spiders and they've done just fine. The hard part is getting the spider in the trap and making it stay there until it triggers the hairs.
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I usually just leave the spider on it's web and bring the VFT to it.. it's much easier to get the trap around the spider when it's on the web..
I just try not to do this outdoors or the neighbors reaally look at me oddly..
 
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