# Grasshoppers will eat through net cages



## Katnapper (Sep 23, 2009)

I've been collecting grasshoppers lately for some variety to my feeders. This morning I was feeding some I'd caught yesterday out to the mantids, and discovered they'd been chomping a sizable hole in the net cage... little boogers! I might even have a few small hoppers loose in the bug room now. Just thought I'd let you know to watch for it if you use net cages.


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## ismart (Sep 23, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> I've been collecting grasshoppers lately for some variety to my feeders. This morning I was feeding some I'd caught yesterday out to the mantids, and discovered they'd been chomping a sizable hole in the net cage... little boogers! I might even have a few small hoppers loose in the bug room now. Just thought I'd let you know to watch for it if you use net cages.


Thanks for letting us know!


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## Rick (Sep 23, 2009)

Yes they will. They will also eat foam plugs.


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## sbugir (Sep 23, 2009)

Ouch, I keep mine in kritter keepers. Getting them out is a bit tough though


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## Orin (Sep 26, 2009)

What kind of net cages?


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## d17oug18 (Sep 26, 2009)

thats crazy talk! lol i heard they have powerful chompers, didnt think it was cricket strong.


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## Katnapper (Sep 26, 2009)

Orin said:


> What kind of net cages?


These kind, Orin.

http://livemonarch.com/store_enclosures.php


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## Rick (Sep 26, 2009)

d17oug18 said:


> thats crazy talk! lol i heard they have powerful chompers, didnt think it was cricket strong.


No, they are stronger.


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## Katnapper (Sep 26, 2009)

Rick said:


> No, they are stronger.


I know they did a_ *lot *_more damage in a *lot *less time than crickets ever did to my cages!!!!


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 26, 2009)

Well I collected a lot of yellow jackets the other day, never gave it a thought about the 32 oz cup and cloth lid I put them in, had to be 20 of them, cut the wings off when I put them in, and went outside to look for female chinese and came back and they had ate hole in the cloth part and escaped, ow! me scared! good thing they couldnt fly, had to search all over for them, most were on the floor!


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## MantidLord (Sep 26, 2009)

hibiscusmile said:


> Well I collected a lot of yellow jackets the other day, never gave it a thought about the 32 oz cup and cloth lid I put them in, had to be 20 of them, cut the wings off when I put them in, and went outside to look for female chinese and came back and they had ate hole in the cloth part and escaped, ow! me scared! good thing they couldnt fly, had to search all over for them, most were on the floor!


Wow, :lol: Good thing they didn't have wings and weren't in the house with you when they escaped. I could picture them storming out and all attacking you (like in the cartoons).


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 27, 2009)

hah! I have the worse luck , don't I?!


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## Katnapper (Sep 27, 2009)

hibiscusmile said:


> hah! I have the worse luck , don't I?!


Sometimes it seems you do, Rebecca! I couldn't ever bring myself to catch a bee or wasp anyways as a feeder... I'm always afraid of getting stung.


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## MantidLord (Sep 27, 2009)

Katnapper said:


> Sometimes it seems you do, Rebecca! I couldn't ever bring myself to catch a bee or wasp anyways as a feeder... I'm always afraid of getting stung.


Same here, but it appears Rebecca and Rick have no fears. I only caught a bee once, and smashed it up a bit before I fed it to my mantis.


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## Rick (Sep 27, 2009)

MantidLord said:


> Same here, but it appears Rebecca and Rick have no fears. I only caught a bee once, and smashed it up a bit before I fed it to my mantis.


They don't bother me. Caught a bumblebee yesterday for a female chinese to eat. I don't catch honeybees though due to the issues they are having. The wasp sting I got yesterday surprisingly was pretty mild after the initial sting. One time a wasp got me right on the edge of my eye.


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 27, 2009)

I dont get the honey bees either, they are important in the work they do, I stepped on one accidentally last night, thought it was a wasp and my big foot got it before I have the chance to stop.... oh well, I try.


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## -MK- (Sep 30, 2009)

I was going to start a thread about crickets chewing the heck out of those foam stoppers. I found a way to keep them from doing it. I just soaked the half that goes inside the cricket cup in dish soap and then squeezed it out so that very little soap remained. Whatever was left was enough to cause the crickets to not want to eat the foam anymore. I'm not sure this technique will work so well on net cages, though.


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