The best thing you can do is provide good conditions and wait. Bright
light, fairly high humidity, and appropriate medium. Higher humidity
will result in better trap formation.
> If I were to snip off leaves as they form from all but one growing
> point on the rhizome, would this cause the leaves as well as the traps
> produced at the remaining growing point to be larger, or would this
> action just frustrate the plant or perhaps send it into shock?
No, the leaves perform a valuable function by photosynthesizing, and
cutting them off will just weaken the plant.
> How critical is the lighting? I know under very bright lighting conditions
> the traps as well as parts of the leaves turn red in color? Under this
> lighting condition do the traps grow the largest or am I better off in a
> lower light intensity for increased trap size?
Give them the brightest light you can, and you will get the best
formation.
Also, how does light
> intensity affect leaf life? If the plant is in full sun are the leaves
> going to last longer or shorter than a plant under some shade clothe?
As long as the leaves are not getting burned, good light is not going to
make the leaves die off any faster, and will probably result in better,
more robust growth. A good setup I have seen is flytraps grown in large
tubs planted to about 10 - 12 inches below the rim, stood in full sun.
The high rim above the medium keeps more humidity in and still allows
full sun. These were some of the best plants I have seen.
Bob