Which is better for neps (bugs)

[kentosaurs]

Hi everyone....I'm not sure if there is even a answer to this Q but i still have to ask.

Aside from fertilizing your neps..You can feed them with bugs right?So it got me thinking if there are certain bugs more "nutritious" too the neps? My neps usually catch ants but how bout stuff like frozen bloodworms Are those better

 

[F R e N c H 3 z]

Trying to stay as 'proper' as possible, some Neps, like in the recent article published, feast on dung from rodents as they visit the pitchers. I would assume that other Neps use this method as well, maybe not with rodents, but other creatures. N. ampullaria, jacquelinae and many more I would think would enjoy more of a bug slurry or droppings than just dropped insects. More easily attainable nutrition.
Personally I also use the bloodworms, I just add a drop or two of RO water in dry pitchers like my ampullaria.

 

[NepNut]

I would still go for ants. Most neps (except for a few) evolved naturally and secrete nectars to attract insects particularly ants (also other flying insects) to it's pitcher. So I think overall, ant wiould still be the best "food" for neps. That's just my personal view... :grin:

 

[Exo]

I like to use crickets, thet seem to digest well an they come in many sizes.

 

[DavyJones]

I use freeze-dried bloodworms that you can buy at the petstore for fish. I don't really know if it makes a huge difference, but I do it every once in a while anyway. My N. x Ventrata loves all the yellow-jackets it catches in the summer though!

 

[billylh]

when i kept my neps outside in houston i would find all sorts of critters already drowned in it such as wasps, june beatles, honey bees, but the one thing i noticed the most(maybe because my neps were close to my sarracenias) is regular flys, like house flys. For me, they caught plenty of their own food, no work on my part, just water.

~billy

 

[nightsky]

I think the best is a variety. That way they get a good cross section of possible nutrient sources. I think ants are great though because as they break down, the acid from their own bodies probably aids in the breakdown.

 

[amphirion]

while we're at it, does gut loading insects give the same benefits to neps as they would to reptiles?

 

[Exo]

while we're at it, does gut loading insects give the same benefits to neps as they would to reptiles?

Well, as long as they are gutloaded with animal matter I think it would.