Question
My recent flytraps from Sarracenia Northwest have been attacked by something that is clipping the traps off the stalks. No damage to the stalks or evidence of up-rooting - just clipped traps. Often the traps are just floating in the water complete, but several traps have been cleanly sliced in half. The clean slice suggests a bird. I am in central Ohio. Do you know the culprit? I have sprayed the outside of the trays with a generic anti-varmint spray that has not solved the problem.

Answer
It's difficult to say what critter is doing it, but it seems to be something other than an insect.  It could be a slug.  Slugs like to hide in cool dark places during the day.  You'll need to look around your pots and such to see if there is a slug taking up residence near your plants.  If you happen to find one, then you can remove it.  This should solve the problem.  If you don't find one, you could use slug bait to lure them out of hiding.  The bait will also kill them.  (If you use it, follow the directions provided by the manufacturer.  Some types are also poisonous to pets, while others are not.)

If it's a bird, then your options is to move the plant so that it's out of site of any birds in the area. Another options is using bird netting around your plants, but this can be unattractive. We sometimes have birds removing small plants from their pots.  Not much we can do about that unless I'm willing to sit out there with a BB gun to chase them off.

So the solution may or may not be simple.  You'll need to do more investigation on your part to find the culprit.  This will point you to the most appropriate action to take.

Good growing!
Jacob Farin