Cricket Farming.or.Project# 627

We go threw our fair share of crickets here. We feed them to 9 Geckos, 1 Gecko at school, and Larry the Bearded Dragon that lives in Tommy's room.
The pet stores sell them for anywhere between 5 - 10 cents each. And they don't always have them in stock. The past couple of months I have ordered them online at approximately $10.00 per 1000. But the packaging and shipping tacked on for overnight delivery jacks that up to close to $30.

Because of the quality of the crickets and the prices to buy them locally,we have decided that we will become Cricket Ranchers. ( OK I decided and maybe I will tell Jeanne soon) After everything I have read, I am amazed how easy it is to breed and raise these tasty little morsels with very little start up cost.

Crickets live 2-3 months and each female will lay 50 to 100 eggs. With 10 - 20 females I have 1000 crickets. Now can you for one minute imagine, 1000 crickets laying eggs ? Some cultures consider crickets to be good luck.

All that is needed is a few 18 gal Rubbermaid totes or similar for housing the colony. Food, water, and a heat source. Small 2-3 inch deep Rubbermaid containers (2 for $1. at the Dollar store) Fill with a substrate such as moist peat and place in with the colony of crickets. After a few days the substrate will be packed with tiny little eggs. Incubation is approximately 7-10 days. To achieve more consistent results I am going to use my incubator, but most articles recommend simple solutions like a heat pad or placing the container on a warm appliance such as a VCR or TV for warmth.

I am expecting my first hatch in about 10 days. This is really exciting and I know you are all on the edge of your seats, so I will post my results in about 10 days.