breeding crickets at home

[Fate X]

i am trying to breed crickets at the moment, whats the best ways to breed them to get the highest yield of pinhead crickets etc.


i am using peatmoss right now in a 10 gallon aquarium i put about 30female and 20 male crickets inside there,i made the peat damp after a week im removing the crickets n putting a heat light on the tank , does that sound like it might make lots a baby crickets?

 

[Fate X]

the crickets have been breeding , finally ive gotten it to work.
there are thousands of pin crickets in a ten gallon aquarium, i decided to wait to move them till they turn color and grow a little.

 

[ChameleonsTree]

how long did it take them to hatch and did you keep the heart lamp on them the whole time

 

[Will Hayward]

74 degrees F is the optimal temperature for cricket reproduction.

 

[Fate X]

IT TOOK them about 10 -15 days to hatch in 85-90 degrees ,i didnt need a heat lamp cause the kitchen is warm.
i pulled about 50 females and 25 males out of 1000 and put them in the 10 gallon fish tank.i put peatmoss on the bottom 1-2 inches worth and sprayed it with water,i sprayed it enough so it would stay moist for 3-4 days while the breeders are laying eggs.
in 3-4 days i took the breeders out and put them in the other 10 gallon.
then i kept a eye on the peatmossbecause if it dries you gotta start over,when it started looking dry i sprayed it good,then in like 10-15 days i saw very small bugs they didnt really look like crickets because ther tiny.
after a few more days they get color and look like miniature crickets , and there is alot of crickets.
i put egg cartons in the 10 gallon ,romaine lettuce and couple pieces a dog food .and some cricket drink.
once they start hatching i wouldnt spray the cage again because you would probably drown the baby crickets,if you spray the peat really good ,when they start hatching ,they will keep hatching for maybe 5-6 days
mine are still in 10 gallon aquarium i added more egg crates , i just put about 50 of them into a plastic storage container with screen on the lid and the regular setup with egg crates drink and food ,if they live im gonna move the rest of them into the plastic container.
some of the baby crickets escaped because they can jump far.
i would say there is at least 2500 baby crickets in one 10 gallon fish tank

 

[ChameleonsTree]

let me know how long it takes you to get them to about 3/4 inch size...if that's what you are working towards

 

[Fate X]

i am working towards 1/2 inch because the chameleons can start eating them at 1/2 once they start eating this high calcium food they should grow fast , i will say that in 3 weeks they should be close to 1/2 or 3/4

 

[ChameleonsTree]

How did your crickets turn out?

 

[Fate X]

awesome there about 3/4 now i will put a pic in my gallery tommorow.

bin 1 has about 1500 in it i took the egg cartons out for the pic the 3 half egg cartons are heavy with crickets when their inside theynhatched 7/21/06 these were hatched in a 10 gallon aquarium then after about 10 days moved into this plastic bin with some peatmoss on the bottom, when they small its better to have some moist peat on the ground.

cage 2 has about 1500 also i removed the egg crates these been in the kitchen where its much warmer so they are bigger these hatched 7/18/06 this is the same 10 gallon aquarium they were hatched in. i can say that no more then 5 crickets have died since they started hatching.
i was surprised at how easy it is to keep them alive i thought at 1/8 they would start dying but almost none of them died i only saw 3 dead ones since i started this project i am assuming maybe 10 more died that i never seen.

for some reasons you cannot get the total impact of how many crickets are in the bins but they are there .

 

[hilohi]

Breeding crickets

As an alternate method, may I suggest using potting soil and a flat plastic storage container with a clear lid. I have found that the clear lid keeps the moisture in longer and I don't have to spray so often. And since I can see through the clear lid I can see the baby crickets when they hatch out.

 

[Fate X]

i have not had any success using the plastic container and lid method . i am still trying to make it work.