How do I choose the insect net that's right for me?
Don't worry, it's not that difficult to pick out just the right insect net that will work the best for you! To start with, even though each of our nets were designed for an intended use, we have tweaked many of their designs so they can also perform as a great general use net. Net Size:Generally, bigger is better but the most important thing to remember is that you want the person to feel comfortable when using their insect net and not have to struggle with it. The size and age of the person using the net and what it will be used for all play a role in deciding on the best size to get.A larger hoop provides a larger opening to get the insect into their net and allows the user to be less accurate as they chase their quarry. A longer handle is also generally more desirable as it extends the users reach. Sometimes though, a shorter handle is preferred by our customers as it can subtly limit the users area of use as is the case with our #PN502 Little Dipper Net. One of our customers explained that they liked the shorter handle of this water net because it keeps the children in the shallow waters. Hoop Shape:
Most of our insect nets have the traditional round hoop. This shape works great for most applications both in and out of the water, but we do offer some more specialized shapes that can make a big difference, depending on what you are catching and where you need to go to catch them.For example, our 'Tiddler Nets' are designed with a triangular hoop specifically for catching water 'tiddlers' that hide out in all of their 'tiddler' places! (Sorry... we love using the word 'tiddler', it is such a fun British term used to describe all of those little bugs, minnows and crayfish that live in the water...you know 'tiddlers'!) The triangular hoop of this water net let's you reach in between tight places where a round net just can't go. Another specialty net is our #PN506 pond net. In addition to its long telescoping handle, it has a rectangular shaped hoop. This provides a flat edge that is very affective at skimming along the flat bottom of a lake, stream or pond. Here again, a round hoop just doesn't work as well. The Netting Material:Choosing an insect net with the proper netting material can make all of the difference. The netting hole size, strength, softness and color all play a role when manufacturing or selecting a quality net.The hole size is important for 2 reasons. One it has to be small enough to hold what you are trying to catch. Secondly, whether for water or aerial use, the larger the hole the less water/air resistance, which allows the user to be just that little bit quicker with their net. This is especially important when choosing a water net. Netting strength and toughness is also very important. The main concern is that you want your net to last and not tear apart after just a few uses. For collecting butterflies and moths, because they are so delicate, the softer and lighter the netting material, the better, provided it doesn't tear and snag easily. We mention color, because we have gotten a lot of feedback on our brightly colored 'Safety-Glo Nets' regarding how effective they are at making the collector, many times children, stand out as they are running about. We think that is important and worth mentioning! Shape of the bag:
Here again many of our insect nets have been designed for general use but incorporate some features that make them better suited for a specific application.Water nets generally have shallower, flat bottomed bags while our, let's call them 'land' nets, have deeper conical shaped bags. The typical use of land net includes sweeping them through the air or through the grass or swatting them down on top of an insect and then flipping the bag over onto itself by twisting your wrist. This practice is quite natural and effective at keeping the insect inside the insect net. This practice requires the bag to be long enough to effectively do this yet you don't want it so long that the insect becomes entangled. The conical shape naturally funnels the insect to a focused point which allows for easier removal. Water nets on the other hand are generally dipped or sweeped through the water and then pulled out and the captured 'tiddler' sits in the bottom of the bag. In most cases other debris from the water is also captured in the net and a conical shaped bag would again funnel it and your 'tiddlers' to a focused point forcing you to have dig through everything to see if you had caught anything whereas our flat bottomed bags keeps everything more separated and much easier to use. We hope this has helped!
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