>early on I learned that sowbugs have a toxic compound
>that makes them distasteful to almost all animals ( I believe >it is a
cyanide-based compound but I could find no references >in my library - all my
insect books don't include isopods )
>I think that was the cause of the VFT necrosis and die-back. >Perhaps other
growers have similar experiences?
On the contrary. Since pillbugs are the single-most common insect-like entity
in my limited back yard, they often become back-up food, particularly in the
very early spring, when I'm hand-feeding plants coming out of dormancy. I've
fed them to VFTs, pitcher plants of all stripes (except for Cephalotus) and
even some of my larger sundews. I don't know how much nutritive value exists
in those chitinous bodies, but none of my plants have died as a result.
BTW, I thought these isopods fed on rotted plant material. My guess is that
they were just using the railroad ties as shelter, and that creosote, since
it is a wood preservative, would keep those ties from becoming pillbug
fodder. (or by extension, the creosote would itself kill the little buggers).
FWIW,
Jay Lechtman
L235@aol.com