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Venus flytraps can definitely eat ants. A venus flytrap that is left outside will likely eat a few ants. If you are looking for the best insects to feed your venus flytrap, I wouldn’t recommend feeding ants if possible. Ants have been known to kill or cause harm to the trap that captures the ant. I wouldn’t panic if your flytrap closes on an ant, but just know that they have been known to cause issues for venus flytraps. There are much better options if you are choosing insects to feed your venus flytraps.
Lets take a closer look at venus flytraps eating ants, and which insects are better options!
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Can Venus Flytraps Eat Ants?
Technically, the answer to this question is yes. Venus flytraps can and will eat ants. The better question to ask is whether or not you should feed your venus flytraps ants. When left outside, I have noticed that my venus flytraps will close down on larger ants. Smaller garden ants may not be big enough to trigger the trap to close.
I’ve seen my own venus flytraps handle ants just find but I have also seen them turn black and die when trying to digest the ant. It does seem that sometimes the ant does cause issues with the flytrap. This could be due to ants acidic nature.
If you are asking this question to consider which insects are best to feed your venus flytrap, I’d probably avoid ants all together. I wouldn’t panic if you see your flytrap catch an ant, but it does seem there are better options for feeding a venus flytrap. We will talk about some of those options below.
Can A Venus Flytrap Eat Gnats?
Can you feed a venus flytrap dead bugs?
Do Venus Flytraps Eat Ants In The Wild?
Venus flytraps definitely eat ants in the wild. Venus flytraps will actually close and try to eat anything that moves. They aren’t picky, but will close the trap down when the trigger hairs are touched. Any insect moving around inside the trap will trigger the plant and the trap will close. Ants are one of the most common insects making them a common meal for venus flytraps.
When in the wild, a flytraps diet consists of 33% ants, 30% spiders, 10% beetles and 10% grasshoppers. According to the paper cited below, if you feed venus flytraps nitrogen content (insects) the result will be larger traps. It’s also stated that 20 to 50% of flytraps total intake of nitrogen comes from insects alone. You can conclude that a group of flytraps that feeds on insects will grow larger than a group that is never fed any insects.
The point really is that, venus flytraps consume a lot of ants in the wild, so it’s probably okay. However, if you have a choice, I’d recommend some of the other insects below.
Better Choices Than Ants To Feed A Venus Flytrap
Although it’s probably okay to feed your venus flytrap ants, I would recommend some other types of insects if you have a choice. The best insects are going to be the ones that have higher concentration of nitrogen and are easy for the flytrap to break down and digest. Check out the best insects below to feed a venus flytrap.
House Flies
It’s all in the name. One of the best insects for a venus flytrap is the common house fly. They have a lot of nitrogen and are soft enough for the venus flytrap to easily break down and consume.
Spiders
Spiders are also high in nitrogen and have fairly soft bodies that are easy for the venus flytrap to break down and consume. The are the second most common insect eaten in the wild by venus flytraps.
Wasps
There are many kinds of wasps and these do tend to be a little tricky as they tend to be a little bigger than some of these other insects. If the wasp is too big, the trap will close but it won’t be able to digest the insect. Assuming the wasp is less than half the size of the trap that closes, it makes a great meal for the plant.
Mealworms
Mealworms are my favorite insect to feed my venus flytraps. They are fairly easy to get and are not very expensive. It’s much easier to buy some live mealworms than try to find insects around your house for your venus flytrap to eat. They are soft enough for the venus flytrap to digest easily but also contain a lot of nitrogen.
Crickets
Crickets, like mealworms, are a great and easy to obtain snack for your venus flytrap. Just make sure you get some that are small enough so that the trap will close entirely. They are easily broken down and contain a lot of nitrogen.
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Conclusion
When it comes down to it, vneus flytraps can and will eat ants. If left in the wild, it’s one of the top insects that get consumed due to how common they are. If you can avoid ants, I’d recommend doing so. There are better insects that are higher in nitrogen that can do less harm to your flytraps. Any of the insects listed above would be better and are typically available to buy and feed your venus flytrap.
