Housefly--good dinner guest?

[steveo]

Hi again!

A housefly got into my domicile, entered the terrarium, bulled its way through two sundews, and set up shop. The next day, it drank nectar from three nep pitchers and flung itself down the largest, never to be seen again.

Is this good or bad for the plant? I have heard that houseflies bring disease and fungus, and I am concerned that I will lose my best pitcher, or worse that the darn insect has covered my plants with pathogens.

BTW, from my observations it would appear that the "drunken" state induced by the nectar does not wear off. I think it does permanent nervous tissue damage. I would not be suprised if it didn't make the animals ravenously hungry/thirsty as well, perhaps even making the bath of enzymatic water desirable.

Has anyone looked into this? Very specific behavioral manipulation of prey by simple organisms is not unknown in nature. There is a predatory fungus that causes host spiders to climb trees just before they die, so that it might spread its spores more broadly.

Nothing suprises me about Nature anymore. No fun on a date, let me tell you.

Steve

 

[NOLU]

I'm always feeding my Nep's houseflies and as yet, haven't had any problems.

 

[mindmaze128]

I don't think that the nectar on most nepenthes plants does any damage to the insects that feed on it. If it did, I would think that nearly every fly or ant that came in contact with it would be eaten. In Nepenthes of borneo, Clarke says that Nep pitchers are extremely ineffective traps since the majority of the creatures that visit them don't get caught. This can help the plant since colonizing insects, like ants and termites, will lead a trail of their kind back to the pitchers once they are found, which would not happen if everything that came in contact with the plant were caught.

Joel©

 

[steveo]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (mindmaze128 @ July 31 2002,01:34)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I don't think that the nectar on most nepenthes plants does any damage to the insects that feed on it. If it did, I would think that nearly every fly or ant that came in contact with it would be eaten. In Nepenthes of borneo, Clarke says that Nep pitchers are extremely ineffective traps since the majority of the creatures that visit them don't get caught. This can help the plant since colonizing insects, like ants and termites, will lead a trail of their kind back to the pitchers once they are found, which would not happen if everything that came in contact with the plant were caught.

Joel©[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
And there is also the idea that the plants actually keep prey insects alive in the dry season, right? Killer nectar wouldn't do that.

Still, the fly was not acting at all normally, and this only got worse with increased exposure. After a while, it could not do anything but walk from pitcher to pitcher, looking frenziedly for more over every mm of the now-dry peristomes. It couldn't fly anymore about a hour before it fell in, though wing spasms indicated attempts.

It was also plain that it preferred the ventricosa nectar, but once that ran out, it was willing to go for the Finn that finally ate it.

I've seen ants fall into a pitcher and climb back out alive, but they are not exactly dynamos afterwords and usually end up inside the plant or its neighbor. Conclusive study of this question would follow the insect and see what it does, and how long it lasts. I doubt that the research exists.

Steve

 

[TrapsRus]

If I am not mistaken ants are pretty strong, and they should be able to climb out the pitcher even if the hairs are pointed down.

 

[steveo]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (NOLU @ July 30 2002,11:57)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I'm always feeding my Nep's houseflies and as yet, haven't had any problems.

 

[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Thanks, NOLU.

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Trapsrus, just to let you know Nepenthes pitchers have no downward pointing hairs in them, those are Sarracenia.

In my expierence you can feed just about anything you can get you forceps on to a Nepenthes pitcher.

I have fed mine

Hornets (BEE careful

)
Ants (lots of variety)
Crickets ( Neps like these alot)
Spiders (ocassional snack)
Houseflys (love them)
Mealworms (primarily winter food)
Slugs (occasional)
Caterpillars (VERY seldom)
Numorous other food too.

 

[nich]

I bought a tub of freeze-dried tubifex worms for my nepenthes.  The tub contains lots of small dried cubes of these worms, and I just break a few small pieces off periodically & drop them into the pitchers.  I guess it must be as good a food as any for them & nothing bad has happened so far!  It's also a lot easier than catching live insects for them

Nick.

 

[eplants02]

Try catching live wasps. There a pain in the neck, no stings though.

 

[RamPuppy]

hrmmm...

are you sure NG? about the hairs? I agree with you that they can't be seen, but if you cut open an old pitcher and rub your thumb 'up' against the grain you can feel a coarse resistance, run it the other way, it's smoother...

Is it the nepenthes that have the ablative wax coating inside?

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

I belive that is the "waxy zone" you are feeling. Also it could be digestive glands,etc. But I have NEVER been told by ANY Nep grower that Nepenthes pitchers have downward pointing hairs in them.

 

[Tristan]

digestive glands...... No way thats what he's feeling. Ng how many growers have you asked.

 

[mindmaze128]

I know this doesn't really fit into the discussion now, but my ventrata caught 2 bees in the same pitcher.

I was just looking at it when i sort of noticed the first bee, and then noticed the second one. It's the first time i've seen something that big find it's way there.

I've also seen moths inside of the pitchers, although the most that they catch are ants. Just a cool observation.

Joel

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

Tristan, I was just saying it could be a possibility. Just a posisbility, I doubt it too but I thouhgt I might as well say it. I have asked a few nep growers before also. But I have NEVER had anyone ask me or tell me there are hairs in Nep pitchers. I hope everyone realizes how lethal Nepenthes digestive pools really are! Why would they even need the hairs!?

 

[NickHubbell]

Thought I would post this picture of a urn I cut in two. It was dying so, what the heck.

 

[<>-{VIRUS}-<>They]

Through all my readings and observations i have never heard anything about Nepenthes with downward pointing hairs. Not to say that there isnt one, but if there is it has been recorded as such. I dont remember reading anything in Nepethes of Borneo or any other book about Nepenthes about any downward pointing hairs. I agree with NG completely. Nepenthes have no need what-so-ever for downward pointing hairs. The wax plates just above the digestive glands are potato shaped and are angled downwards which could account for why RamPuppy felt resistance "up grain". I would be very surprised if anyone could find a book or other wise that said that Nepenthes had downward pointing hairs of any kind, but if there is tell me, I would be quite interested. Or find a plant and take a picture of the downward pointing hairs (good luck

). I could still be wrong, but I havent seen any evidence there-of. HAPPY GROWING

 

[nepenthes gracilis]

That is my whole point. Thank You for agreeing and seeing my same point of view as to why nepenthes would even need them.

 

[Dyflam]

I thought this was interesting (pertaining to disoriented bugs)... "Like Sarracenia, the pitchers of Nepenthes fill with rain water, but here mixed with a digestive acid so powerful that a mosquito can be reduced to a hollow carapace inside a day, and insects can be overwhelmed by just the fumes from the fluid beneath them." This quote is from
here.

Oh... that reminds me. If you spin an oriental person around do they become disoriented? (George Carlinism)