Q: It is winter---where do I get bugs for my Venus flytrap?


Dionaea 'Sawtooth' A: You can usually buy crickets at pet stores that cater to people who keep lizards. If you live near a fish-bait store, you may be able to get something nasty but appropriate there, too.

I always keep my refrigerator stocked with frozen crickets and caterpillars. Poke around on line--you can usually find vendors of such groteque victuals from herpetological supply stores. I would not buy prey that are fortified with vitamins, but I have no basis for this statement other than fear for whatever might be in that vitamin-supplement mix.

But I must ask you, why are you feeding your Venus flytrap during the winter? Haven't you read in this FAQ that Venus flytraps need a winter dormancy, during which they are not going to be catching much food? Feeding them during the winter is not necessarily such a good thing.

Page citations: Rice, B.A. 2006a; personal observation.