3M Micropore Tape

PowerHobo

PowerHobo

Chalcosoma
In the interest of combating fungus gnats and potentially adding some aeration holes to the sides of larvae containers so that I can stack them, I've been looking at 3M micropore tape. It says it breathes well, so I'm wondering if it'll do the job, or if it still blocks too much airflow.

Anyone have any experience with this stuff? Any issues with larvae trying to chew at holes on the sides of containers?

 
The concern I would have is that fluid in the form of condensation may clog the micropore tape. This won't eliminate gas exchange, but it will certainly hinder it.

 
Shade of Eclipse said:
The concern I would have is that fluid in the form of condensation may clog the micropore tape.
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... which is something I hadn't really considered, and why I ask these things.

I suppose it would be a pretty apparent thing if a lot of people were doing this already. I still wonder about it and wouldn't mind experimenting with it, but that's something for another day when I have larger cultures, I suppose.

 
For rearing containers such as deli cups, just make a series of pin holes, using a medium-diameter pin.  For the lid of a 16 oz. deli cup for example,  a series of 25 pin holes, spread out evenly, will allow for an adequate exchange of air, while preventing the entry of fungus gnats.  The key is to use holes that are large enough to allow for a passive exchange of air, but are too small for fungus gnats to pass through.  It also helps maintain the correct humidity level in the substrate.  I've used this method for many years with no problems.

 
I see this thread is a few months old, but maybe I can still offer a bit of help. In my enclosures, I use fine aluminum mesh attached to the container with silicone sealant. The insects are unable to chew through the metal wires, so I would think the same idea would work with beetle larvae. 

 
Larvae of larger species can easily chew through soft silicone. If you do that, make sure it's not against the dirt where they can easily reach it. They shouldn't want to eat it, but it could cause complications if they ingest it and it clogs their insides. If a hercules beetle larva can chew up softer plastic, soft silicone is even easier to rip up.

 
I typically put it on the lid. The larvae shouldn't be able to reach the lid very well, but if it does, then the metal would hopefully discourage it from trying to eat the silicone. 

 
The Mantis Menagerie said:
... The larvae shouldn't be able to reach the lid very well, but if it does...
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Not sure about your setup, but the substrate meets the lid in all of my containers. With as arid as my city is it's the only way I've been able to successfully manage humidity without disturbing the containers far too often.

I've since switched to using more numerous smaller holes as @Goliathus mentioned above, and that combined with the sub now being essentially right up to the lid (eliminating the room fungus gnats need to spawn) has effectively solved my issues. I actually do this even on my larger containers, placing some holes down the sides of the container as well for stacking purposes with great success.

 
I've been using it for a while now, no issues with it getting chewed (though the holes were a lot smaller than any larvae would bother with).
I haven't noticed any issues like mould that I'd attribute to poor air flow to humidity, I got the idea from one of the beetle shops here in the UK.
They ship out all of their larvae in containers with 3M over all the air holes.

I actually like it as an early warning for mite explosions, I've found the mites get stuck and discolour the tape around holes..if I notice that I crack open the container 
and make sure the larvae are okay..maybe rehouse.

 
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