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January 08 Cricket RaisingCricket Raising
Well, I started a cricket ranch/farm or whatever you may want to call it. It is actually pretty easy to do.you will need several plastic containers, such as 5 gal buckets, stoirage containers with high sides, at least 2 feet tall, remember they jump. You will also need calmp on lamps to put on each bucket, the crickets prefer about 75 degrees or so. Do not use any bedding other than egg crates. You will also need a smaller plastic container with potting soil or finely ground up wood in it. It will need to be moist. I use square throw away tupperware type containers. I have mine in a 55 gal storage container as well with a clamp on light. I have a second one for the smaller crickets, the bigger ones will eat the smaller ones. Need to keep em seprate.
You will also need a hatchery or two or three or four. Hatchery is basically a styrofoam container with the smaller tupperware with the potting soil or ground up wood. I got the wood filler from pet store. Don't use shavings from natural sources. You may introduce other insects or diseases into your colony. The hatchery will need to be kept at between 80-85 degrees, and needs to have ventilation holes in top to let out excess moisture and heat. Place the tupper ware egg container into another small plastic container that will keep the babies from crawling up the sides.
I used purchased food from pet store for crickets. They also need to have water. you can use a wet paper towel or a dish. if you use a dish put a sponge and or paper towel in it otherwise the babies will drown.
It was interesting to see the female crickets take to the egg laying container so quickly. after one day they were laying eggs one after another. Each female will lay aproximately 100 eggs. When the babies are big enough remember to put some into the breeding colony to replace the ones that die off. Adult crickets live aprox. 6 weeks. Crickets dont have wings until they become adults.so, if you think your gonna hear a bunch of noise, you wont. Except from the breeding colony every now and then.
I then take the semi mature crickets to pet stores to sell or to bait shops. Retail on em is 9 to 10 cents a cricket. and with 6 or 7 females laying 100 eggs each, it adds up. And they do this all day long.
I will post some pics of the different containers and such as i get some takin. Here are a few links if you want to check it out.
These are the sites I went to to learn what i needed to do. It really isn't that hard. And its interesting to watch em lay the eggs.
Just thought I would Share somethin with ya all.
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