Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 14:03:23 +0100 From: "Stefan P. Wolf" <wolf@medinfo.uni-kiel.de> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg645$foo@default> Subject: Re: Harmful prey
Some kind of synopsis of "Harmful Prey?":
I wrote:
>> I wonder if I can feed wood lice (aka sow- or pill-bugs) to my CP
>> (esp. Dionaea and Cephalotus). I know these animals are no insects
>> but land isopods (Crustacea) -- little ugly land lobsters :-)
>> [...]
>> What about certain poisonous critters like house spiders and ants.
>> Can their poison/acid hurt the plants? What about lady-bugs (aka
>> lady-birds) and their yellow secretion?
From: "Justin Arthur" <justia@hotmail.com>
(Message-ID: <19980216180438.28654.qmail@hotmail.com>)
> I have found that with my VFT if an ant takes too long to digest
> the trap will deteriorate where the ants abdomen is located. This
> sometimes happens with large Grandaddy Longlegs as well.
The latter should be caused by the oversized prey.
As for ants: I received quite some answers that these can actually burn
the traps of VFT. Maybe the ant thinks it is attacked and sprays it's
acid while in pither plants it does not (it should be able to distinguish
between beeing crushed and drowning) so it is not harmful to pitchers.
Just an idea...
###
From: bergrd@valunet.com (Richard Berg)
Message-ID: <34e8cd05.1942286@valunet.com>
> Being in the northern U.S. pill-bugs are numerous and even in the
> dead of winter I've been able to find many under rocks, logs, and
> debris in my yard...
Thats's why I wanted to use them - I don't find many insects now in
winter. They are easy to find and to keep alive for some provisions.
A box with smooth walls (they can't climb these) and some compost.
They eat rotting plant/veggies.
> The traps digest them perfectly fine and all that's left is the
> chinton shell...
Sounds good - I was curious because I did not know until after my
posting that crustacean's exo-skeletons are made of chitin like
those of insects and spiders.
> you also but be sure they are not contaminated by pollutants as
> these little critters seem pretty at ease near pollutants...
>
> I've fed my Dionaea's house spiders at times but fear of the
> above mentioned pollutants keeps me digging pill-bugs!
What pollutants do you refer to? Pill bugs near streets might be
contaminated by exhaust fumes but house spiders?
###
From: "Michael Reardon" <m-reardon@adfa.oz.au>
Message-ID: <199802170036.LAA26505@ccadfa.cc.adfa.oz.au>
> I don't know about Lady Bugs but I kept a VFT alive for years
> feeding it almost entirely on Wood Louse - it thrived on them.
Okay, I am convinced. I will feed one or two to my VFT now - stay
tuned! . . . . . . . . . . Arggggghhhhh!
It wasn't as easy as I thought as they are damned hard! I feed
with tweezers and they make pill bugs do as their name makes you
expect -- form a pill. This is not appropriate! I have other
wood lice that don't curl up and they are easier to handle. But
two managed to run over the triggers so quickly that the trap
closed behind them. One escaped in my fishtank and dug into the
big black gravel around the pots.
Result:
-------
VFT - I managed to get two in + two empty closed traps :-(
Ceph - One balanced on the brink and slipped into the pitcher
(I really missed a audible "plop" :-)))
Tank - One escaped in the tank :-(((
Oh, by the way: what killed your VFT after 4 years???
###
From: "Semanchuk, Phil J" <pjs20347@glaxowellcome.com>
Message-ID: <F065E833E452D111B98E0001FA8712439CFD2B@us1n37.glaxo.com>
> I've never seen a flytrap eat a ladybug, but I know that the
> Sarracenia flava in the Green Swamp in North Carolina catch
> ladybugs in droves and don't seem to suffer for doing so.
As this is a pitcher plant there is the possibility of similar
effects as with ants. As far as I know the ladybug's yellow
secretion only pours out when the bug feels like being attacked.
###
Thanks for all contributions!!!
Bye, Stefan
-- Dipl.-Inform. Stefan P. Wolf ..................................................... Inst. f. Medizinische Informatik und Statistik (IMIS) Klinikum der Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet zu Kiel mail : IMIS, Brunswiker Str. 10, 24105 Kiel, GERMANY phone: (+49 431) 597-3173 --- fax: (+49 431) 597-3193 >>>>>> http://www.uni-kiel.de:8080/medinfo/ <<<<<<<
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