Breeding Crickets

[joeandsoph]

Hey,

I am thinking about breeding crickets, but have a bit of a stupid question. Once the eggs are laid in the sand, do I need to keep the container air tight, because that's what I've read a lot but I'm unsure!?!?

 

[jdog1027]

Hey,

I am thinking about breeding crickets, but have a bit of a stupid question. Once the eggs are laid in the sand, do I need to keep the container air tight, because that's what I've read a lot but I'm unsure!?!?

You can seal it airtight, or you can not. But if you don't seal it, you need to make sure that the sand doesn't dry out. Peat moss or plain soil would be better to use than sand next go around.

 

[joeandsoph]

I haven't actually started yet, I'm getting all my kit prepared lol. Does anyone have any tips?

 

[jdog1027]

Do you have a YouTube account?

 

[fluxlizard]

I have a related question-
I've been gathering the big black crickets I have out in the yard the past several days as I come across them to try breeding them for the lizards.
Anyone know if these big black crickets we have in the south this time of year require same incubating temperatures as domestic crickets (mid 80s) or do they do well incubating cooler?

 

[jdog1027]

Good question. I am currently experimenting with this idea. I have 4 different subspecies of Field crickets here in central Alabama; Gryllus rubens, the Southeastern Field cricket, Gryllus firmus, the Sand Field cricket, Gryllus texensis, the Texas Field cricket and Gryllus fultoni, the Sand Field cricket. There are 5-6 generations a year here and right now the last generation is laying the last eggs for the season. They will lay dormant all winter and be the first generation to hatch and start the whole process over in 2012. I've found that they aren't much different than Acheta domesticus, except that they don't do so well crowded together. The males will give a warning call to another male singing nearby so normal breeding behaviour is hard to achieve. They are very solitary in the wild. I have a small group of what appear to be rubens that I plan on trying to breed. But to answer your question, I incubate them at the same high temperatures I do for domesticus, but seeing how they go through a dormancy during the winter, I'm sure that they can withstand cooler temperatures.

Future Gryllus rubens breeding group

Gryllus fultoni , Southern Wood cricket

This is Gryllus rubens ( lower left) Gryllus fultoni (top) and Acheta domesticus (lower right)

 

[bigcappa]

Great post jdog, cool to see all of the different subspecies you are breeding.

 

[sdheli420]

heres my clean and easy breeding set up.. and how to keep it clean (keeps disease and deaths to a minimum..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UOMX_jnKnU

and cleaning..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REkopkdWI1I&feature=related

second part

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEnNyvfr5oY

 

[batwoman008]

So is it okay to leave the females with the males while they lay eggs if not how do you know which are the females and when they are ready to be moved?

 

[sdheli420]

So is it okay to leave the females with the males while they lay eggs if not how do you know which are the females and when they are ready to be moved?

i only move the females to the laying bin when they get real plump..(males have two prongs, females have three prongs comming out of the back end..easy to tell a difference)...

 

[fluxlizard]

I leave them together myself. I put a container with egg laying substrate in for a day or two and then remove the container, but the lid on it and put it in the incubator.

The females have the long tube coming out of their tail (males have 2 spikes coming out females have a 3rd long spike that they deposit their eggs into the earth with).

 

[jdog1027]

The one on the left is a female- the long stem is called an ovipositor. The right hand side is a male. Like mentioned, they have two short protrusions and lack the ovipositor.

 

[batwoman008]

Okay awesome I had just got some extra crickets today to breed. I now realize that if I keep buying them at this rate lol plus the gas I have to spend to go find a place that sells them.. anyways thanks!

 

[sdheli420]

I leave them together myself. I put a container with egg laying substrate in for a day or two and then remove the container, but the lid on it and put it in the incubator.

The females have the long tube coming out of their tail (males have 2 spikes coming out females have a 3rd long spike that they deposit their eggs into the earth with).

p.s. ive thought about putting it all together (mainly cause i dont see any of the babies being eaten by male nor females )the only thing that has stopped me is i guess the cleaning..but now that i think about it, one set up should work great..i may try one and make a vid on how it works..i dont see why it would not work flawlessly as long as it can be cleaned easily once a week.. "light bulb flickering" lol

 

[batwoman008]

I have another question, on the items for them to hide in (egg cartons, paper towel rolls ect) why do they use stuff like that and not things that are plastic that you can just wash out?

 

[fluxlizard]

I have another question, on the items for them to hide in (egg cartons, paper towel rolls ect) why do they use stuff like that and not things that are plastic that you can just wash out?

Probably because they are free or cheap and can be thrown out. Also crickets can climb on all surfaces of cardboard- plastic is often too slick. But you can rough plastic up with sandpaper and they can then climb it. But I bet after a couple of months you may decide washing out the plastic furniture kind of sucks and throwing it away is easier.

 

[batwoman008]

Okay awesome, you guys should post this info in the feeders forums for crickets