Indoor rearing in mesh habitats:

If plants dry out too quickly in a mesh habitat, place a plastic bag upside down over it to reduce the amount of humidity lost from the habitat.

Once cut, many species of plants will dry out, some faster than others.  Reducing the amount of ventilation slows this drying-out process.

The bag can be place over four of the five exposed sides of the habitat or it can be lowered over most (but not all) the exposed sides.  The amount of mesh covered controls the amount of airflow.

Use caution when placing bags over habitats that are near the ceiling or close to a light.  Heat can build up inside the habitats rather quickly. 

Outdoors, the sun can quickly build up heat inside the habitat and cause disease issues or cook larvae. 

The same bag can be used on the same habitat until all the larvae pupate.  Don’t reuse a bag on a different set of larvae unless it has been disinfected and dried.

Remember, once the larvae pupate and the bag is removed, the bag is considered contaminated and should be either disinfected, recycled, or should be placed in the trash for pickup and disposal off-property. 

The perfect size thin inexpensive bags for 12” square habitats that we’ve found are here.  https://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/S-7317/Trash-Liners/Uline-Economy-Trash-Liners-Natural-7-10-Gallon-23-Mil  For 12x12x24 popups, we use larger trash bags from the grocery store.