crickets keeping

CHIMP

Established Member
I tried breeding crickets a few times and this kept happening. I started just housing and got the same problem. Sorry I do not have pictures. I just dump, clean, and refill. Have not had it happen in a few months but am still curious.
So basically after keeping crickets in a bin for a while I start noticing what looks like what I can best describe as a short hairy worm similar to a meal worm but different. It looks like a Carpet beetle or Dermestid Beetle larva. I am not familiar with any of this at all. When I start seeing them I dump and restart. I do not know if they actually harm the crickets or if I could even use them as a food source. I do believe they are feeding on the dead crickets. I do not know if they are comming inside the cricket containers or are in my house, I do know I never see them outside the bin. does anyone have experience with this?
 
The beetle larva in the image may not be the right one. It does look similar and hairy
 

Attachments

  • Larder-beetle-larvae.jpg
    Larder-beetle-larvae.jpg
    18.1 KB · Views: 146
Dermestid (sp?) beetle larva. Theyre used as a cleanup crew in cricket breeding to eat the poop and keep things cleaner. No amount of cuc will keep them from stinking tho. I hate crickets!
 
There are several species of beetles larva that cricket breeders use as cuc. Dermestids are among the most common, and they’re probably the hairy little larva you see. The lesser mealworm looks more like a darkly coloured mealworm, a bit smaller, and they are also excellent cleaners. Don’t get rid of any of them: they’re free janitorial services for your crickets.
 
Thank you for the info. yeah, I have been getting rid of them because I was not sure and did not want them to harm my feeders. I do not have any at the moment but for future I will keep them.
 
Back
Top Bottom