A laboratory-based study undertaken to examine the effect of confinement in net bags upon the feeding mechanisms and growth rate of maggots of Lucilia sericata showed that free-range maggots survived better and grew significantly faster than maggots in bags (P<0.005). In a separate study it was also demonstrated that maggots in bags could survive on wound fluid that passed through the net without their having access to any form of solid food. This finding was consistent with clinical experience that suggests that although there may be some aesthetic advantages to the use of maggots in bags, their ability to combat infection or remove necrotic tissue from wounds is greatly reduced.