Hi johnnyb,

It is strange, there was another forum question similiar to this, exept only one trap had been "sawed" off. Therefore, i need to ask the same question. Was it a clean cut, or was the cut jagged. If it was jagged, than it is almost certainly a pest. In pennsylvania where i live, we have TONS of jappanesse beetles (actually we have TONS of alot of pests). Im not sure that it sounds too much like jappaneese beetles to me. if that were the case, there would be many holes in the leaves, not a complete cut. However, they tend to come in hordes, which is why i'd like to leave that open as a possibility. The rate of which your flytraps were decapitated is what scares me. Normally, a good sized infestation breaks down the plant's health quickly, but not as quickly as that, maybe over a few days a few would be chopped off, but a not at the rate your'es are. If the cuts are clean, then Im almost certain it's being done by someone else. Maybe an annoying neighbor or kid pulling a prank. To help solve this problem, I'd take 3 precautions. The first is to apply insecticide. Although this could be a risky move, It would help narrow down the culprits before it's too late. My favoite is ortho's systemic insect killer. It is safe for the plant, with little or no reprocutions to it's health. if the sawing stops, and the plant's health returns, then congratulations, the problem is an insect and its currently being intoxicated. The second step would be to watch your plant very carefully. Come out often to sneak peaks of your cp's. Look for any insects in abundance or, god forbid, a kid with scissors. The final step woud be to take out that jappaneese beetle trap. believe me, you MUST take it out. My neighbors had some, about 3. Yes, it catches many beetles, but attracts even more. Remember, flying around traps isnt the only thing beetles do. The eat, and rest, which could include you're flytraps. We lost flowers, baby trees, and even patches of lawn to those traps. DONT USE EM.

Good luck to you, it sounds like you might need it,
Squim4

Keep an eye out for wasps and bees too. Some of them cut up leaves to try to make a nest of them. If you see any large red ants, they might be leafcutter ants or harvester ants. Leafcutters usually carry off leaves too, but harvesters sometimes cut back plants just as a clearing exercise around their colonies. Some caterpillars cut leaves in patterns as they eat so you might have some of those chewing up the trap base, making the leaf fall off.

Good luck with getting rid of those pests.

Thanks for the comments. I wouldn't suspect the children in the area...besides, it does look like an irregular cut where applicable. But at the base of the traps, there really isn't much holding it to the rest of the leaf so you can't tell for sure. The Jap Beetle traps seem to have worked; I only found about 5 beetles yesterday in my yard. But I can smell the trap from a good 20-30 feet away so I may take it down (or put it in my neighbors yard). I haven't noticed any insects whatsoever but my plants so I am still perplexed. Two of my VFT's have a baby trap or two just emerging from the base so hopefully at least they recover.

I don't have any insect killer yet, but I do have Neem Oil. Will that help with any future insect attacks? Or is that good just against mold? Either case, what is the proper dilution to use with it? And can I use it when I prepare the VFT's for their winter dormancy if I am going to put them in my fridge?

So far my japanese beetle trap (A teece plastic model) has filled twice. It's caught literally THOUSANDS as usual. My traps are fine so far. I don't think your problem are JBs...

You were right...it was not the Japanese Beetles. It was birds!!! Little sparrows! I caught them splashing in the water trays (it has been really dry here). And I saw them eat one of the traps off. Now I have to figure out how to get rid of the birds...or at least stop them from chopping my traps off. Anyone have any ideas?

Birds are usually spooked by mobile owl replicas that move in the wind. You could also make some cages (out of chicken wire) around your plants to keep the birds out. Another alternative is to get some larger plants that eat sparrows.. N. raja anyone?

Early in the spring grackles (birds) do that to my VFT as well. Particularly "dente". They also shred my Sarracenia rubra ssp. alabamensis down to the root.

I just cover them with bird netting for about 3 weeks.

Thanks...i did want to get a mobile owl to keep the birds from "bombing" my deck so much. I have to pick up some netting as well. :)