If you have ever come across these amazing plants – or perhaps had the good fortune to own one – you might be wondering “do venus flytraps eat spiders?”

Venus flytraps are known for eating insects and tiny critters, but what about arachnids? These aren’t quite bugs, but they are similar, so it’s not unreasonable to wonder whether a venus flytrap can trap a spider and whether it will eat it if so?

Spiders are quick and cunning, so you might think they are too clever to fall for a flytrap’s snapping pod.

Do Venus Flytraps Eat Spiders?

Yes, venus flytraps do eat spiders if they happen to get them, although spiders are not a primary source of food for them.

Venus flytraps will prey on pretty much anything they can catch that is not too big for them, so as long as the spider is small enough to be caught by one of the traps, it is fair game as far as your plant is concerned.

Spiders may sometimes make the mistake of crawling across a trap, and if they trigger the tiny, sensitive hairs in there, the trap will quickly snap closed on the spider. Further movements on the part of the spider will trigger digestive juices being released, and the spider is doomed.

You can try to feed your venus flytrap spiders if you can catch them, but many spiders will escape a trap before it has time to enclose them, so you may find this a waste of time. While sometimes the spider will be either slow or unlucky, on the whole, they are a bit too quick for the plant.

Will Spiders Harm A Venus Flytrap?

This might sound nonsensical given that venus flytraps eat bugs and spiders are similar to bugs, but on rare occasions, a spider could hurt your venus flytrap. Some big insects can chew their way through the trap to escape being digested, and certain spiders might be able to do this.

You should never give your venus flytrap something larger than a third the size of its trap. It won’t be able to close properly or digest the insect, and spiders are more likely to chew their way to freedom if they are large.

This damages the plant and also means that it has wasted energy on a meal that has been lost. While most healthy plants will survive this without issue and simply grow a new trap, weak plants will struggle.

What Do Venus Flytraps Eat?

We’ve established that the answer to “do venus flytraps eat spiders?” is a yes, but what else do they eat?

Venus flytraps eat almost anything that is small enough to be trapped and big enough to hold onto (very tiny insects may be able to get free by crawling through the spines).

If you’re wondering what to feed your plant, you can try all sorts of insect-based foods, such as dried mealworms, bloodworms, crickets, dead flies. You will need to poke a toothpick through the trap’s spines to simulate or the plant may not digest its meal.

Wild venus flytraps may even eat tiny frogs if they can catch them. They will eat ants, flies, crickets, caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, and almost any other kind of insect they can catch. As established, venus flytraps also eat spiders.

What Should I Feed My Venus Flytrap?

It’s best to feed a venus flytrap insect-based foods, rather than human food, if it isn’t catching enough food for itself. You can easily buy dried mealworms or other insects at most pet stores and these should be perfectly suitable.

Although venus flytraps get a small number of nutrients from their soil, you shouldn’t fertilize your flytrap; it will usually struggle in rich soil, and may simply die if its roots get overwhelmed by nutrients. It has adapted to source most of its nutrients from its traps.

Looking For Venus Flytrap Food?

Freeze-dried bloodworms are a fantastic alternative food for venus flytraps. They are suitable for all sizes of venus flytraps.

Summary – Do Venus Flytraps Eat Spiders?

So, the answer to “do venus flytraps eat spiders?” is a yes, provided they are quick enough to snap shut on the spider.

You should not give your venus flytrap a large spider or it may be able to bite through the trap and escape, while small spiders might be able to squeeze through the spines and escape.

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