It's official

[SSimsswiSS]

I witnessed a cricket fly 30 feet away from me. I was making up bottles of calcium powder last night, and a big adult female came crawling across the garage floor. I bent over to pick her up and got her about waist high, when she took off flying. I was in a little disbelief, but know these black crickets are another breed, and gigantic. Or maybe it was the casaba melon I've been feeding them. She flew just like a grasshopper on crack.

 

[Eltortu]

Holly Mackerel! A flying cricket, that is something I haven't seen...

 

[laurie]

Come on Steve, is there anything you can't grow? Even your wild crickets grow like crazy!! Going to need a butterfly net for crickets.

 

[SSimsswiSS]

Come on Steve, is there anything you can't grow? Even your wild crickets grow like crazy!! Going to need a butterfly net for crickets.

I wish I needed a net for crickets. Think of the fun, watching chameleons shoot crickets out of the air. I'm raising up a bunch of banded crickets right now, and they got the jumping gene, in the cricket family.

 

[bigcappa]

Come on Steve, is there anything you can't grow? Even your wild crickets grow like crazy!! Going to need a butterfly net for crickets.

I think we should be asking why Steve(Dr. Frankenstein) why!?!? What chemicals are you using to produce these freaks of nature.....

 

[ataraxia]

pfft crickets flying 30 feet. uh huh i bet that was calcium powder you were bottling up...

 

[ChameleonNerd]

calcium powder or cricket crack?

 

[kongchi]

I heard Red Balls gives you wings (sorry, Chapelle reference)

If you don't get it, go here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1BeHcFI5w4&feature=related

 

[Ace]

lmao on the chapelle reference !!!

that be cool if crickets could hover at least

 

[robmd1]

pfft crickets flying 30 feet. uh huh i bet that was calcium powder you were bottling up...

he is the maker of cricket crack......

 

[ataraxia]

i strongly recommend putting the straw down. just sayin

 

[SSimsswiSS]

pfft crickets flying 30 feet. uh huh i bet that was calcium powder you were bottling up...

calcium powder or cricket crack?

Calcium powder, yes. I have had requests from local pet shops for calcium, so I finally started making 4 oz. bottles. A co-worker pointed out to me, how perfect. I make crack bags and powder tubes.

At lease I know what is happening to my big crickets. (I was like, I can't be going through that many crickets) Their getting out of the bins. Will have to start using lids on their bins.

 

[jdog1027]

When you say black crickets, are you refering to Gryllus assimilis, the Jamaicans? I was confused months back when people were saying 'Black crickets' because the native crickets here in the southeast are all jet black. I know that these will often have a 'winged' version that can fly, and when I say fly, I don't mean glide-I'm talking sustained flight. I've yet to see these Jamaican Black crickets in the flesh, but in the pictures I've seen, they don't appear to be solid black like the Gryllus rubens here in the south. Where are you located geographically? Have you ever tried culturing any of North America's Gryllus species? I currently have a starter batch of some G. rubens to see if I can't breed them year round if kept at acceptable temperatures. I know my chameleons really seem to go for the rubens when offered, so I thought I'd give them a try.

 

[SSimsswiSS]

Yes, I believe Gryllus assimilis is the one closest to what I have. While very black from hatchling to 3 or 4 weeks old, they tend to develope more red as adults. I'll have to take some pictures tonight.

Here's a few pictures of the banded crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus), which I don't see anybody breeding on a mass scale anytime soon. They scatter really fast so hard to get good picture.