Date: Tue, 09 May 2000 09:14:07 -0600 From: "John Green" <HPJGREEN@ihc.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1455$foo@default> Subject: Re: Wish I had a camera... (wasp/hornet damage)
>>My S. alata has been nearly as gluttonous as my S.
>>flava. Today, I noticed that in addition to brown spots,
>>it has some holes in its larger pitcher. Tonight, I saw a
>>spider feeding on something through one of the holes.
>
>My Sarracenia alata has some holes in a pitcher as well...
>I wonder if it was a grasshopper or maybe a wasp. Here
>wasps seem to make up 99% of the pitcher's diet, as well
>as my VFT. As they're looking for somewhere to hibernate
>and stocking up on reserves, they fall easy prey :)
>
>Miguel de Salas
Around here we have "yellow jackets" which are very aggressive hornets.
About half of the ones that get caught chew holes in the pitchers and
escape (not just S. alata, but also leuco, flava, minor, and oreo). It
got so bad last year that I think this year I'll hang one of those
plastic traps they sell near my plants just to cut down on the damage
they do.
John Green
Salt Lake City, Utah
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