Silly cricket breeding question..

[vgaines]

I have been trying for a few weeks now to get my crickets to breed. I have placed containers of soil in with my adult crickets, left them in for a week and then placed them into a 10 gal. heated tank. No luck. I read on a post the other day that the soil should be covered by screen to keep male crickets from digging up and eating the eggs. Ok, so here is my silly question...If the soil is covered to prevent males from digging up the eggs how are the female gonna dig to lay? I really would like to be able to raise my own crickets so that I know that they are healthy and well fed from the time they hatch. Also, how to you keep the soil moist all of the time? I mist every night before I go to bed and soil is dry by next morning. Is there something I can add to the soil to help it retain moisture? Thanks in advance for any help...

 

[deerharvester]

I've never done it but I believe the post you are talking about said to put a screen over it toprevent males from eating them, not digging them up. I believe 85 degrees is optimal temp and you have to make sure the soil stays moist. Maybe someone with a Lil more cricket breeding experience will chime in.

 

[Txherp]

I just recently hatched out some crickets. I didn't put any males in with the females because they are all usually pregnant already. I put the females into an insect cup with moist coco fiber and within seconds they had started laying eggs. After a few days I removed the females and incubated the cup of eggs at around 80 degrees. I had good luck too!

 

[Psychobunny]

How many females did you put in the cup?

How large is the cup, and how did you get the crickets out when they were done laying?

 

[Txherp]

How many females did you put in the cup?

How large is the cup, and how did you get the crickets out when they were done laying?

This is the cup that I used http://www.joshsfrogs.com/32-oz-deli-cup-no-lid.html
It is about 3" wide at the base and about 5-1/2" tall. I filled it 1/3 full of coco fiber.
I put about 5 crickets into the cup. I just picked the crickets up with my hand to get them out.

 

[vgaines]

OK...so here is another silly question... How do you tell the females from the males? Can I put females into the 10 gal with soil and heat and leave them there for a few days?

 

[Txherp]

OK...so here is another silly question... How do you tell the females from the males? Can I put females into the 10 gal with soil and heat and leave them there for a few days?

The females have a long stick on their butt

 

[chefboyardee]

you dont really want to separate the females from the rest of the group in an attempt to get them to lay; theres no real way to tell if their eggs have been fertilized or not. A medium sized petri dish (about an inch deep) with some moist sand or whatever media you care to try should be in the same container as the crickets.
The petri dish, after about a week to a week and a half, can be removed and incubated. The eggs should be kept moist, once they dessicate theyre no good. You can cycle new petri dishes in and out as you hatch the eggs

The screen prevents the males from digging up the eggs, but still lets the females lay. They use that stick (ovipositor) to lay the eggs in the soil, it fits between the holes in the screen, so it wont stop them from laying

 

[vgaines]

you dont really want to separate the females from the rest of the group in an attempt to get them to lay; theres no real way to tell if their eggs have been fertilized or not. A medium sized petri dish (about an inch deep) with some moist sand or whatever media you care to try should be in the same container as the crickets.
The petri dish, after about a week to a week and a half, can be removed and incubated. The eggs should be kept moist, once they dessicate theyre no good. You can cycle new petri dishes in and out as you hatch the eggs

The screen prevents the males from digging up the eggs, but still lets the females lay. They use that stick (ovipositor) to lay the eggs in the soil, it fits between the holes in the screen, so it wont stop them from laying

Thank you so much. I feel like an idiot for not knowing this information about how crickets lay. I'll be trying the screen and see if I can get myself some baby crickets. I really appreciate everyone's help. thanks again..

PS Any ideas on how to keep the soil moist? Would it be ok to use potting soil that had the moisture beads in it? Or can I mix in some moss to help maintain moisture.

 

[SMCNARY]

Cricket breeding

The best information I have seen on this subject is on the frog forum, look at how to articles,then the 2nd article I think and you will learn what u need to know!!! I have posted ALOT about this and helped several people on this forum (not that I am an expert or anything) I have posted many pictures as well,if after reading this article and looking at the threads I posted you need any help feel free to pm me and I will be happy to help you in any way I can!!!! Again I'm not trying to suggest I'm any better then anyone else here at breeding crickets but I do produce tons of crickets and have sold 30+k or so to bait stores in the past 4-5 months or so. Just let me know if I can help!
Steve

 

[Psychobunny]

you dont really want to separate the females from the rest of the group in an attempt to get them to lay; theres no real way to tell if their eggs have been fertilized or not. A medium sized petri dish (about an inch deep) with some moist sand or whatever media you care to try should be in the same container as the crickets.
The petri dish, after about a week to a week and a half, can be removed and incubated. The eggs should be kept moist, once they dessicate theyre no good. You can cycle new petri dishes in and out as you hatch the eggs

The screen prevents the males from digging up the eggs, but still lets the females lay. They use that stick (ovipositor) to lay the eggs in the soil, it fits between the holes in the screen, so it wont stop them from laying

Thanks for your post.
That makes everything perfectly clear

 

[Yak]

The best information I have seen on this subject is on the frog forum, look at how to articles,then the 2nd article I think and you will learn what u need to know!!! I have posted ALOT about this and helped several people on this forum (not that I am an expert or anything) I have posted many pictures as well,if after reading this article and looking at the threads I posted you need any help feel free to pm me and I will be happy to help you in any way I can!!!! Again I'm not trying to suggest I'm any better then anyone else here at breeding crickets but I do produce tons of crickets and have sold 30+k or so to bait stores in the past 4-5 months or so. Just let me know if I can help!
Steve

went to the frog forum ( I have two frogs as well ) didn't find anything, that it isn't posted here.

 

[kj9]

Breeding Crickets

We decided to start breeding crickets fairly recently and here's our recipe for loads of crickets:
1. Put packing tape around the inside of a large plastic storage tote about 2/3 of the way up - it's too slick for the crickets to climb on so they can't get up high enough to jump out.
2. Cut out the middle of the lid so you can put the top on but still have a large opening in the center.
3. Put in a small Tupperware or other plastic container filled almost completely with ecoearth. Mist it once or twice a day depending on how dry it gets. Try to keep it moist, but not wet.
4. Set up food and water for your adult crickets.
5. In two weeks move the container of ecoearth over into a second large tote. This is where your eggs will hatch. Once they do, set up this tote the same as the first with food/water and with packing tape so that they can't climb out.
6. Place a new container of ecoearth in with your adults..and so on.
Here's a picture of our set up with the adult crickets.

 

[Txherp]

We decided to start breeding crickets fairly recently and here's our recipe for loads of crickets:
1. Put packing tape around the inside of a large plastic storage tote about 2/3 of the way up - it's too slick for the crickets to climb on so they can't get up high enough to jump out.
2. Cut out the middle of the lid so you can put the top on but still have a large opening in the center.
3. Put in a small Tupperware or other plastic container filled almost completely with ecoearth. Mist it once or twice a day depending on how dry it gets. Try to keep it moist, but not wet.
4. Set up food and water for your adult crickets.
5. In two weeks move the container of ecoearth over into a second large tote. This is where your eggs will hatch. Once they do, set up this tote the same as the first with food/water and with packing tape so that they can't climb out.
6. Place a new container of ecoearth in with your adults..and so on.
Here's a picture of our set up with the adult crickets.

Great setup! Much better than mine!

 

[junglefries]

type of screen

I used the black plastic screen like you get in silkworm or hornworm cups. You can buy it at lowes or home depot. works great.

 

[kj9]

Great setup! Much better than mine!

Thanks! Can't lie though, my boyfriend was the brains behind it, I just put it all together.