My Cricket breeding experiences
how i got eggs...
Well i first got some cricket from my back yard (coz i had those bigger black ones there and they were free!!)
Then i got a large 3foot aquarium ($50 from a mate Hi Alex.)
first i had some left over sand but found paper towel was better coz they lay a lot of egg in the sand and they won't meant to..
u just need to provide a place to hide (cardboard toilet roll holders the bit u r left with after all the paper is gone), food (i find fish flakes very good)
and water (u can use cotton balls and/or carrot, turnip, lettuce cores, and zucchini which i find they like the most..)
make sure there warm i use a 75w incandescent glob which keeps them at 32c
Egg laying containers
The old way
i just use a 2.5cm high container with top soil in it (which i got from the front yard bad idea it had other creature in it so u should bake it first to kill all other eggs in it and and that is hiding like in mine..
then i used a small aquarium with river sand at the bottom to absorb excess water through evaporation.( i seal the lid of the aquarium with sticky tape incase i don't see they when they hatch and they escape.)
once again u can use a 75w light globe to heat them or a 75w-100w infrared light(ceramic type).
Then when they hatch just move the hatching container and the river sand into a raising/breeding box(es).
The new way (Thanx to Mike's design)
This is the easyer way to do it.
ok u will need . 1 or more if u want to never run out of the little buggers 60-90L or bigger container AU$23 from clints (make sure it has smooth sides and corners so they cant get any grip to climb not like an aquarium which has the silicone rubber in the corners a good climbing device for the little bastards to climb out with)
a light socket and light cable and a 75w light glob.(u can get this stuff from your light suppliers about AU$20 but u have to do the wiring just ask the attendant how to do it..)
a thermonitor to check the temperature i use the stick on ones u get from a aquarium shop. Keep it about 30-32c the hotter it is the faster they grow but also die :-( but u can keep them hot until there big enough then lower the temp to about 27c by using a reostat or a small wattage light bulb.
also u may need a washer (for the light fitting) if the hole is a bit to big i got my from the metal centre in canberra australia.
some peat moss and maybe some river sand mixed into it to keep it a bit more moist.. about AU$10 (DON'T keep moss moisted read notes below)
a food and water plates for fish flakes (for food) and cotton balls and carrot and zerciney( for water/food from zerciney)
a hole saw or a drill big enough to put a hole for the lamp and i got my from belconnen mall in clints about AU$3.50.
And i think that's it.. a part from the feeding containers and cardboard egg cartons for hiding in also increases your overall floor space.
Constructing the breeding box(es)
first drill a hole into the lid not to close to the edge or it will melt it, in the centre is the best.
U can put a vent into the lid aswell but it wont get as hot as u need it with a 75w glob and you loose a lot you mosture through evaperation but may be needed in summer it it gets too hot for them but i guess u could also turn the light off or just put a smaller glob into it like i am going to do.
Put the lamp holder into the hole and make sure its not going to go through if so use a washer like i did.
Put about 3-5 inches of peat moss into the bottom and wet it a bit. (DON'T keep moss moisted read notes below)
then just put some (20+) adults into the breeding containers or eggs u got from the old way.
And wait for about 2-3 weeks but can be longer and u should see tiny pinhead size crickets or a month or two if u don't have eggs yet.. just spray with a water spray on the soil or peat moss/sand so the hatchlings can dig there way outand don't dry out but don't keep them wet all the time..
My Cricket Breeding Cages.
NOTES: I found that i had a problem with mold mite killing my crickets now the only way i have found to rid/control mild mite is to remove all sources of water i used to add water weekly to my peatmoss so the crickets would lay eggs, but i better way to do this is to keep the peat 100% dry and put another container (like a used butter container) in with moist peat in it for the females to lay there eggs into which they seem to find with out a problem.
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