Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 18:28:32 +0100 From: Stefan.Sehnbruch@t-online.de (Stefan Sehnbruch) To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg4787$foo@default> Subject: Re: Subject: diet for venus fly-traps
Normally Venus Fly traps can get along without food quite a long time.
I never feed my five dionaeas. They catch their prey themselves when I
let the window opened in the summer.
You shouldn't feed them too much anyway. The leaves can only perform a
limited number of movements before they die. My experience is about 8
movements without catching their victim or 2-3 movements with total
digestion of the insect (except the exoskeleton, of course)
I think the best way to feed dionaeas is to wait until there are enough
(about 3 or 4) young, healthy leaves. Then you can put some prey into
the older traps. If these leaves should die then, there are the enough
new leaves to keep the plant alive.
And you should only use living insects, because the process of digestion
can only be stimulated by the movements of the living prey in the closed
trap.
I think there are a lot of CP-societies which have information about
that topic. If you have full internet access, try to find them with a
search-engine. I can give you the adress of a German CP society. I think
all the pages are available in German AND English.
Try www.gfp.org
I wish you a lot of flies and succesful venus fly traps !! ;-)
Stefan Sehnbruch
Gelsenkirchen, Germany
--- Experience is quite useful,
--- normally you have it a few seconds after you needed it !
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