Intro and a question

Mike Bartolone 5-4266 (bartlone@colossus.med.ge.com)
Tue, 2 Nov 93 08:48:15 CST

Hi, I'm new to this list, and I have a few questions that I'd like answered.
Before I get to the questions I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Mike
Bartolone. I'm 33 years old, I've been married for 12+ years now and I have
three children. I am the FAQ maintainer for the bonsai newsgroups/mailing
list, and that is why I am here. I am interested in learning more about
carnivorous plants to be used to help control insects around my bonsai.
I have not had any major insect infestations of any kind, but prefer to be
prepared ahead of time.

On to the questions. Are some plants "bigger eaters" than others? Or perhaps
I should ask does it vary much from species to species? Within a species?
Do some plants prefer (and therefore attract) different kinds of insects?
For instance, my wife has a pair of insectivorous lizards. Would the crickets
I buy at the pet store for them be a good diet for some species of plants
and not for others?

I've noticed quite a few of the venus fly traps for sale in a local garden
chain. But they never look very healthy...they are sealed in some kind of
plastic cube and always look on the verge of rotting..are they, or is this
a normal part of this plants life-cycle?

Mike