Cardboard

kmsgameboy · Jun 28, 2011

I use something that sounds a lot like that bird netting. Its a plastic mesh used for needle point. Its flexable but not flimsy and you can get a good sized pack with several sheets for about $5. I got mine from Walmart but you can probably get it anywhere craft suplies are sold.

Termite48 · Jun 28, 2011

Yes, that is the idea. I have seen that when my mother (years ago) used to try various needle craft projects. It is a smaller mesh. That would work just as well.

kmsgameboy · Jun 28, 2011

Rich S said:
Yes, that is the idea. I have seen that when my mother (years ago) used to try various needle craft projects. It is a smaller mesh. That would work just as well.

I use it in the lids of all my mantid housings but have played around with the thought of setting it inside for them to climb on.

Termite48 · Jun 28, 2011

The reason I like the bird netting is that the mesh size is such as to allow free passage of flies of any size through it and allow smaller mantids to go through and restrict larger ones.

There are a few advantages.

sporeworld · Jun 28, 2011

Rich S said:
...it made a secondary place from which mantids would hang. The benefit is pretty obvious. If you use a heat lamp as I do on this enclosure, the mantids can pick a hotter or cooler place from which to hang out. the other benefit is that it prohibits falling in the case of a molting mantis....

Yeah - if I'm reading this right, I'm working on a similar design now. A little hard to describe. Kinda like a heat sink (that probably didn't make any sense).

This was my starting point...

It's at a very different place now, but extra molting area/break-fall strategy is the motivation...