How to Feed a Venus Flytrap

A simple feeding routine

1. Check the plant first. Choose a fully open, healthy trap. Leave developing, blackening, or already closed traps alone. Address poor light or unsuitable water before trying to fix weak growth with more food.
2. Keep the meal small. A modest insect is easier to enclose than one filling the whole trap. For prepared bloodworm portions, the ICPS guide suggests about one-third of the trap’s size.
3. Place it inside. Use fine tweezers to put the prey between the lobes without crushing the leaf. Contact with the inner trigger hairs starts closure; movement after capture helps stimulate sealing and digestion.
4. Let the trap work. Leave a closed trap undisturbed. Digestion takes days. Do not pry it open to check the meal or keep triggering other traps for entertainment.

Can it eat dead insects?

Yes, with extra care. Simply dropping dead food into a trap may produce a snap without a sustained digestive response. Rehydrated, additive-free dried bloodworms are an established option; gentle stimulation after closure substitutes for prey movement.

Follow the ICPS illustrated bloodworm method for preparation and handling. Pressing too hard can damage the trap. Bloodworms can also cause allergic reactions; follow the product’s handling advice.

How often should I feed it?

Consider active growth and whether the plant already catches prey. You do not need to fill every trap. A growing indoor plant with little access to insects benefits from regular small meals; a seasonally resting plant should not be pushed to feed. There is no useful single schedule for every setup.

Use insects or an established insect-based food, not hamburger, cheese, or household scraps. Feeding complements good growing conditions. It does not replace light, suitable growing medium, and water.

Further guidance: ICPS growing checklist and RHS carnivorous plant care.