Theyâre plants, but with a really cool biological
twist. Theyâre plants that happen to devour insects. Super cool and very interesting pets. But would they be considered pets, you ask? Absolutely, and today weâre going to discover
the amazing world of the most famous of the carnivorous plants: venus fly-traps and pitcher
plants, both of which are growing in this new lush terrarium kingdom and carnivorous
plant garden I recently acquired. Now these carnivorous plants will truly blow
your mind, guys especially when we do what excites carnivorous plant-lovers the most
- feeding them insects! Stay tuned until the end to watch the epic
feeding session of our new carnivorous plants. Iâll also be talking about how to care for
them properly for those wanting to keep carnivorous plants, and as always, Iâll be needing your
help naming them in this video! So AC Family, itâs an eye-opening and trap-opening
episode of discovery, so gather round and letâs all welcome to the Antiverse, organisms
that deviate from the traditional order of nature, who reverse the regular prey-predator
relationship, and are living proof that animals arenât always above plants in the food chain. Here on the AntsCanada Ant Channel. Please subscribe to my channel, and hit the
bell icon. Welcome to the AC Family. Enjoy! Once upon a time, I sought the help of some
special plants to help control the population of one of my massive ant colonies. Iâm talking, of course, about the pitcher
plants that I put inside the Hacienda Del Dorado, the home of my then over-populated
colony of Yellow Crazy Ants. The plan was to use these carnivorous pitcher
plants as a biological population control so the ants wouldnât overpopulate indefinitely,
but turns out, the outcome was totally unexpected. At first, it seemed to be working with ants
being eaten at a good rate, but the ants came out victorious in the end. Can you believe the ants found a way to kill
the pitcher plants, by throwing their leftover prey insect parts and debris into the bellies
of the pitcher plants? Ingenious! They literally overfed the pitcher plants
to death. Also, it turns out ant poop which ordinarily
would act as delicious plant food fertilizer for regular plants, is deadly for carnivorous
plants, so they ended up dying. Iâll be getting more into the science of
all that later. But, if youâre like me, whoâs attempted
to keep carnivorous plants in the past and they always ended up dying, then youâll
understand by the end of this video why most people fail at keeping these very neat living
pets, and most donât even realize that their dead carnivorous plants are actually still
very alive, but just appear dead. As a kid, I remember always asking my parents
to buy venus fly traps that were on sale at Home Depot, but I couldnât figure out why
they kept dying after a few months no matter how much I care for them! I eventually concluded that the plants were
just difficult to keep, but in actuality, these carnivorous plants are quite simple
to keep when you know the basics, and soon you too will know how to properly care for
these carnivorous plants, and perhaps even take a stab at keeping these seemingly half
animal-half plant creatures. So now letâs take a look at our new carnivorous
plant garden kingdom! AC Family, welcome to the new territories
Iâve called Carnivora. Itâs a gorgeous terrarium, wouldnât you
agree? Inside we have two carnivorous plant species. One is this world-famous Venus flytrap Dionaea
muscipla. This venus fly trap has several traps growing
at the end of each leaf. Inside the traps, you will find what are called
trigger hairs. When prey such as small insects and spiders
touch these hairs in succession, the leaves snap shut, trapping them inside. This venus fly trap is a large, gorgeous,
and impressive one. There are also two more baby venus fly traps
growing here and here between some rocky parts. Further to the right side of the tank, are
these pitcher plants. Itâs known as the purple pitcher plant,
Sarracenia purpurea. These plants have modified leaves called pitfall
traps. The opening lip here secretes nectarine juice
that attracts insects. Little do they know that these openings are
slippery, with hairs that point inward to trap insects stopping by for a taste. The insects fall into the hollow parts of
the leaves, where they will then be digested in fluids. What I also love about Carnivora, are these
patches of Holland moss spread all over the tank. Itâs decorative and looks really neat against
the rocks and white sandy pathway of the terrarium. Now this terrarium has been built strategically
and specifically for these carnivorous plants. And to understand how to properly care for
them, Iâve learned that you gotta understand their evolution. AC Family, so get this! Some plants millions of years ago, adapted
to living in nutritionally poor environments that most other plants had trouble living
in. Evolution designed these plants then to acquire
their needed nutrients, not from the soil like most regular plants, but from consuming
insects! Theyâre literally designed to grow in nutrient
deficient soils and be insect-eaters. This means then that Pitcher plants and venus
fly traps, like most other carnivorous plants, hate nutrient-rich environments, hence the
pitcher plants in the Hacienda Del Dorado dying out. This is the first mistake new carnivorous
plant owners make. The plants need nutrient-deficient material
to grow. These plants here are growing in peat moss
and horticultural sand, with no added fertilizer, no rich nutrient soils from our Nucleus, as
that would kill them! And they are also growing at locations suspended
above the ground, so that water doesnât drown the roots. They need good drainage as the roots can rot
easily. Speaking of water, theyâre only allowed
to have distilled or rainwater âcoz even tap water might have too many minerals and
nutrients in it for them. And guys, you will love the watering system
I bought for the plants of Carnivora. Are you ready for it? Itâs coming in 1 - 2 - 3. A magical mist blankets Carnivora twice a
day for a few minutes. Of course, if you have carnivorous plants,
misting and watering will also do, but I have to admit, this way is so much cooler. I always have fun marveling at how the tank
transforms into a Silent Hill scenery once I turn on the mist machine. Itâs eerie, mesmerizing, and I end up staring
at it hypnotized by the beautiful swirls of fog! And now that the inhabitants of Carnivora
have had their hydration, itâs now time for what youâve all been waiting for. Itâs feeding time! Our resident Carnivorans are about to get
fed. Now the thing about these carnivorous plants
is, they donât need food regularly, and certainly not every day. That was a mistake I used to make keeping
these as a kid. They only need insects when you see that theyâre
kind not doing so well or appear unhealthy. Itâs really hard not to feed carnivorous
plants insects on a regular basis, especially because thatâs the whole allure of keeping
them. If theyâre kept outside, the plants may
be able to catch enough insects on their own and you wonât have to worry about feeding
them. But today Iâm going to be feeding our carnivorous
plants because theyâre kept indoors, and Iâm giving them a bit more than usual for
a very important reason Iâll be getting to in a bit. Letâs start with our big venus fly trap. I want to start with this dead trap-jaw ant
I recovered from our Jawbreakerâs graveyard site. Watch what happens. It may surprise you! Placing one in now, the ant touches the trigger
hairs and bam. Trapped! Now to give another one to this trap. Swallowed! Now hereâs the thing I wanna show you guys. Because these ants were already dead, the
venus fly traps opened a couple of days later, revealing the undigested ants inside. You see, venus fly traps like their meals
alive and moving. The movement inside the trap stimulates the
plant to digest the insect. Some say urea produced by the insect elicits
digestion, but whatever the case, our dead ants were rejected and barfed up! OK so letâs feed a living insect now, this
cockroach nymph. Moving it in with my tweezers⌠and oh no! It got away! Causing the venus fly traps to close without
food in their traps is apparently a waste of energy. I mean, for a plant, movement like opening
and closing of anything takes a lot of energy, which is why you should never touch the trigger
hairs of the traps, as it would cost the plant valuable energy. Letâs try the other side. The legs tickle the trigger hairs and bam! Successfully eaten! The movement of the roach will now elicit
the digestive juices to come flowing and digest the roach. I used a toothpick to push the roach deeper
in. Now letâs feed the pitcher plants! These plants donât need struggling prey
so Iâll be feeding them some chopped up mealworm. And in you go! It will drop to the bottom where it will soak
and digest in fluids, thereby nourishing the pitcher plant. And letâs feed this one, too! In you go! And there you have it! Our carnivorous plants have been fed! Pretty cool right? Now the reason Iâve decided to feed the
plants now is because they need to undergo a hibernation period. These carnivorous plants are from North America,
and like North American ants, benefit greatly from a three month hibernation period where
they receive less light and water. Right now theyâve been used to 12 hours
of light every day and regular foggings, but starting today Iâll be reducing their light
to 4 hours a day and a little less water. During hibernation the plants look black and
pretty much dead. When I was a kid, we didnât have the info-rich
worldwide web so I couldnât figure out why my venus fly trap plants from Home Depot would
die out every winter no matter how much I tried to care for them well. Turns out, they werenât actually dead. They were just shriveling up to preserve all
their nutrients and energy to survive the hostile hibernation period. Take note all you who want to keep venus fly
traps, that they will shrivel up and blacken every winter, but are still very much so alive,
and will miraculously revive bright and green in the Spring. Like ants, though you donât have to put
your venus fly traps through a hibernation period, it is said doing so prolongs their
life span and they truly benefit from the yearly dormant period. These new carnivorous plants of ours are truly
awesome additions to our growing menagerie of pets and terrarium kingdoms! Let me know in the comments what we should
name our carnivorous plants, and I will choose my top favourites for us to vote on in a future
video. Perhaps something like the Snap Dragons for
the venus fly traps, or the Decanters for the pitcher plants! Haha! Iâll be announcing the winning names in
an upcoming episode. In terms of long term care, you must make
sure to trim off any blackened leaves or traps as they may spread fungus outbreaks. This purple pitcher plant which is also North
American, also requires a hibernation period, as does this species moss, according to some
sources, which also comes from a temperate climate. So Carnivora is winding down for its winter
slumber, but around February Iâll switch their photoperiod back to 12 hours a day of
light and have regular mistings again. By then, a new vitality will invigorate all
of Carnivora here, and to be honest, itâs kind of no different from keeping ants. In Canada, I used to love hibernating my ant
colonies because it meant that I could take a break from the demanding duties of maintenance
for a good 3-4 months. It kept the hobby fresh and always gave me
something to look forward to. How about you guys, are any of you hibernating
your ants right now? How are you guys doing with the wait? Well, we ant-keepers, carnivorous plant enthusiasts,
and hey, a whole lot of animal keepers too are all on the same boat, going through the
same hibernation wait. Itâs amazing to think that many plants and
animals require a dormancy period to stay healthy. Itâs amazing how deeply biologically tied
many organisms are to their respective native climates. Itâs why apples donât grow in tropical
regions, and why many captive lizards need a hibernation period in order to successfully
breed. As we all move into 2020, a new decade, I
felt this could be the ultimate reminder and metaphor for new beginnings. Life sometimes needs a break, so it can come
back strong and more vibrant than ever before. Thank you guys so much for watching! I truly love you guys so much. Itâs ant and plant love forever! Alright, AC Family, do you like our new carnivorous
plant terrarium? I hope for it to flourish and eventually move
the plants and moss into something much bigger and more epic, but all that in time. I wanna take the time to wish you all a HAPPY
NEW YEAR 2020, and thank you guys so much for watching my videos week after week. It means a lot to me that you guys love nature
as much as I do. So if you havenât yet, please do subscribe
to the channel, and hit the bell icon for notifications now, and choose ALL, so you
get notified every time I release these high quality nature videos. Also please remember to hit the LIKE button
every single time, including now! Just a reminder, I wanted to let everyone
know that this is your last chance to avail of our big AC annual holidays Promo: the 20-2020
sale at my website AntsCanada.com. That's 20% off all Hybrid Series ant farms
and gear packs from now until January 2020, plus a free copy of our newly updated "Ultimate
Ant Keeping Handbook", right now at AntsCanada.com. Click the link in the description to get your
AC ant farm today! AC Inner Colony, I have left a hidden cookie
for you here, if you would like to watch more scenes of the plants of Carnivora, as well
as feedings. Theyâre gorgeous plants and I believe you
guys will love them! And now itâs time for the AC Question of
the Week. Last week, we asked: What is your favourite thing in the ant terrarium
in a bottle we made? Congratulations to Jaime Whitsett who answered: My favourite part is the path. It is absolutely gorgeous. Congratulations Jamie, you just won a free
Ultimate Ant Keeping handbook from our shop! In this weekâs AC Question of the Week we
ask: What type of water do our carnivorous plants
need? Leave your answer in the comments section
and you could also win a free e-book handbook from our shop! Hope you could subscribe to our channel as
we upload every Wednesday and Saturday at 8AM EST. Please remember to LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE, and
SUBSCRIBE if you enjoyed this video, to help us keep making more. Itâs ant love forever!
I love and Canada
Ooh, he's had the pitchers for awhile, but it's cool to see the new flytrap!
Thankfully he gave the basic info In his video even included hibernation