Collard Greens Killing Crickets??
- Thread starter Kat77
- Start date
chamlover
New Member
Hi Kevin,
That is awesome! Where did you get that fan? That might be my problem, not enough air circulation. And how did you attach it Tim? Hehe. You said that if you put the crates up they last about a month. What difference does that make? I just bought a bigger crate that i will be able to do that with, it's alot higher. The container i use now is about the same size as the one u have and i have 3 large openings on each side, but on the top of the box which probably doesn't help with getting them fresh air down on the bottom.
Debby
That is awesome! Where did you get that fan? That might be my problem, not enough air circulation. And how did you attach it Tim? Hehe. You said that if you put the crates up they last about a month. What difference does that make? I just bought a bigger crate that i will be able to do that with, it's alot higher. The container i use now is about the same size as the one u have and i have 3 large openings on each side, but on the top of the box which probably doesn't help with getting them fresh air down on the bottom.
Debby
summoner12
Avid Member
Thanks! I got the fan with some computer stuff I purchased... But you can buy cheap computer fans at Radio Shack or Best Buy. I then used a 12vdc wall adapter to power the fan. You can buy one of those at Radio Shack as well. I think on this container I just hot glued the fan into place. On my last box I used screws. When you cut up these Rubber Maid containers they tend to crack. Making holes for screws isn't always possible.
Keeping the crates upright allows the poop to fall down and keeps the living areas for the crickets cleaner. They also like tighter areas to hide. Just tilt the crate side to side when you open the box to allow the poop to fall to the bottom.
My biggest prob was heat and smell... I read about how crickets die from their own smell... sheesh I don't blame them.
So I put the fan on and kept the box in a cooler place, been doing well.Tyler said:
It is ok to clean. I just vacuum the box out and wipe out any junk on the bottom. For the most part it stays pretty clean.
JoshCrane1
New Member
i food process all my veggies into a 10 ingredient salsa including collard greens. no problems yet, my crickets look like they are going to explode, they love it.
Kat77
New Member
That is a great idea!
I think I'm just going to buy organic from now on. I lost probably 200 crickets to that pesticide ridden crap!
JoshCrane1
New Member
Josh,
What's in the secret salsa?
lots of veggies..haha
ahh i dont have my list in front of me but off the top of my head it includes:
collard greens
mustard greens
endive
kale
asparagus
baby carrots
alfalfa sprouts
watercress
romaine
... and the last couple elude me.
i food process all of them seperately and mix into a large container, then ration into freezer bags. all of the above will cost you around 20bucks and will last you a couple of months.
that with the cricketfood.com grain mix and my crickets are supercharged food vending machines. lol
JoshCrane1
New Member
i guess its no secret anymore. lol
lbesok
Avid Member
Thanks for the recipe. I think I'm going to go out and get the stuff to do it! What do you think would happen if I used the blender lol? Should I just get a processor? Any other KEY ingredients you think I should use?
Also how do you provide it to your feeders? In a small flat dish like used for the dry food, is what I'm assuming.
Yo, that stuff looks NASTY though!
Also how do you provide it to your feeders? In a small flat dish like used for the dry food, is what I'm assuming.
Yo, that stuff looks NASTY though!
JoshCrane1
New Member
yeah it looks pretty gross, and doesnt smell the best either. food processers are so cheap nowadays, like i said, i bought my little cheapo at publix for $10.
that mix along with cricketfood.com's grain, make some very healthy crickets.
ive never seen crickets gorge themselves to the point of bursting on any other stuff. literally, sometimes when i hand feed turk, i try to pick one up and its belly bursts. funny looking fat crickets.
that mix along with cricketfood.com's grain, make some very healthy crickets.
ive never seen crickets gorge themselves to the point of bursting on any other stuff. literally, sometimes when i hand feed turk, i try to pick one up and its belly bursts. funny looking fat crickets.
JoshCrane1
New Member
the chams sure do love em.
JoshCrane1
New Member
if a third showed up dead, it probably wasnt the kale that finished them off.
dodolah
Retired Moderator
If you live in Florida or California where the sun is available year around, I found that my crickets stop dying rapidly if i put them outside. Provided that you gave them the egg carton to hide from the sunlight and under a cover of foliage of a tree on your backyard, The light bleaches the poo so that it does not smell so bad anymore. Sunlight, after all, is the best agent to kill bacteria.
Just make sure you take them in if the temp goes over a 100.
To avoid ant attack, I put a block of cement on the middle of a medium pan filled with soapy water. and I put the cricket cage on top of the block.
The ants can try.. but they will die from drowning. Take that ants! sorry, i hate ants.
Kept inside the house, a cricket cage generally starts to stink in 2 days. Outside, however, it will take 3 to 5 days before you absolutely need to clean the cage.
I feed my crix with collard greens and Kale, I also never found ill effects.
Water (humidity), organic matters, and poop often combine into 1 giant problems -> bacteria build up -> smell/ noxious gas -> death.
Crickets are sensitive to gas and odor (I read it from a cricket farm site).
Putting a fan can help to keep the air inside the cage fresh. But, that means ousting the odor for the whole house to enjoy (yuck!).
Another tip is try to always dry the vegetable completely (after washing) before putting it to the cricket cage.
Water (in the liquid form) is your worst enemy in keeping crix.
Just make sure you take them in if the temp goes over a 100.
To avoid ant attack, I put a block of cement on the middle of a medium pan filled with soapy water. and I put the cricket cage on top of the block.
The ants can try.. but they will die from drowning. Take that ants!
sorry, i hate ants.Kept inside the house, a cricket cage generally starts to stink in 2 days. Outside, however, it will take 3 to 5 days before you absolutely need to clean the cage.
I feed my crix with collard greens and Kale, I also never found ill effects.
Water (humidity), organic matters, and poop often combine into 1 giant problems -> bacteria build up -> smell/ noxious gas -> death.
Crickets are sensitive to gas and odor (I read it from a cricket farm site).
Putting a fan can help to keep the air inside the cage fresh. But, that means ousting the odor for the whole house to enjoy (yuck!).
Another tip is try to always dry the vegetable completely (after washing) before putting it to the cricket cage.
Water (in the liquid form) is your worst enemy in keeping crix.
Last edited:
JoshCrane1
New Member
we got some mean carpenter ants here, they float around on the water like no big deal, i guess ill add something a lil more toxic to the water.
JoshCrane1
New Member
lots of veggies..haha
ahh i dont have my list in front of me but off the top of my head it includes:
collard greens
mustard greens
endive
kale
asparagus
baby carrots
alfalfa sprouts
watercress
romaine
... and the last couple elude me.
i food process all of them seperately and mix into a large container, then ration into freezer bags. all of the above will cost you around 20bucks and will last you a couple of months.
that with the cricketfood.com grain mix and my crickets are supercharged food vending machines. lol
just made my second batch of this stuff and my chameleons look and act healthier than ever.
and i am using this "salsa" for my superworm gutload and the results are the same, the worms eat just as much as the crickets and love it.
