CAGE SUPPLIES
Double Boiler” Cage (DB)
This is my workhorse for raising crickets. Very easy to clean, easy to store and durable. It has other uses than raising crickets. Germinating seeds, making quark (similar to yogurt) and anything else where a warm bottom is needed. My favorite setup consists of 3 Sterilite® boxes that nest together (all share a common lid). The nesting is critical to these working. The bottom is a 58 quart size box. Add 8 quarts of water and an adjustable submersible aquarium heater (~90° f). Then set a 50 quart Sterilite box on the water. The correct amount of water is indicated by the bubble under the 50 quart disappearing when the 50 quart box bottom is pressed down. The air bubble that re-forms but does not span the entire bottom is normal. Too much water allows the box to float.
To make rearing cages a snap to change and clean, add a second 50 quart box to house the crickets. This is the only part of the DB system that is removed and replaced. The pair of boxes with water between them are never separated and will go a long time without water needing to be added. The 2nd box is optional but highly recommended because it allows easier cage changing. One item concerning heat loss. Due to heat loss in the top box expect about 5° f heat gradient per box under it. This is what seems to be happening. Items like the paper on the bottom hold in some heat.
The 50 and 58 quart simple plastic box (no latches on the box) I use is made exclusively for Walmart by Sterilite Corporation. Unfortunately Walmart sees the 50 quart box as a seasonal item and only has them between August and September. Maybe this will change. The 58 quart is usually year round.
To reduce heat loss around the edges, I used a cardboard box around the outer box stuffed with towels to take up air space. To improve on this idea I used Great Stuff foam to create a thermal outer shell to the 58 quart box. Great Stuff is not the best product for this but the only spray foam readily available. This is another project. There was a lot of work to create this, but the results save money in the long run and make the heaters work less.
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The lid that came with the box is set over the box leaving one end exposed by an inch or two. This holds in some heat while still supplying fresh air to the crickets.
An alternative rearing cage is 2 boxes that are differ greatly in size but the smaller nest within the larger. They must nest to seal in the water else there will be problems due to evaporation. I still use these for young pinheads- a single 4” deep box over a much larger base box. This was the original version of the “double boiler” and is still functional. This works for pinheads under 15 days old- after that they start jumping out.
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Ideally set the entire setup (All of bottom container) into a outer cardboard box and fill up the gaps around the edges to minimize heat loss out the side walls. No sense in wasting electricity and making the heater work harder, shortening its life. See Link
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There is an optional 3rd Sterilite box size to the set (same lid is used). This is a 28 quart box that can be used for pinheads up to 2 weeks old. The middle 50 quart is not necessary and be sure to insulate the 58 quart up to the rim else there is considerable heat loss.
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Egg Laying Box (ELB for short)
for a picture, click Here
Female crickets need (require) a place to lay their eggs. If an unsuitable place is not provided they will lay their eggs under water if need be. After many years of searching and trying different substrates I found what I think is ideal and the crickets seem to be in agreement- ground coconut husk (aka Coir).
An ELB consist of
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A container- An 8 oz. plastic box, like how 8 ounces of mushrooms are sold . DO NOT USE STYROFOAM
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The egg laying medium - ground coconut husk is ideal. Sifted potting soil will work.
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Tags to Identify the ELB from the others. White plastic plant markers work well. Date them and indicate the box sequence for this batch of adults. These are reusable and aid in identifying the age of the ELB.
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A piece of 1/8 " Hardware cloth (aka screen) tightly fit so they can lay eggs but not dig in the medium.
To assemble the ELB, take the 8 oz. container and roughen the inside corners with sandpaper or apply masking tape to aid in the pinheads leaving. This is only needed on first use. Fill with coconut husk almost to the top and then add water to bring the weight to ~300 grams. This makes the medium very moist but not swampy. Some settling of the husk is expected. For more information on the coconut husk, Click Here.
The ELB is set directly above the heat source, which is under the aquarium bottom (Cage #1). A roof, (custom made) is set above the ELB to slow the crickets from kicking the medium out of the ELB (see section below for an alternative). The crickets can inadvertently kick out eggs when burrowing head first into the medium. Both sexes dig and I am not sure why. I am starting to suspect heat, as the bottom of the ELB is the warmest place in the cage,
Once egg laying time is up (< 10 days or else you will be sorry) replace the ELB and move it into the hatching cage Add water to achieve 200g if needed. The ELBs will continue to hatch through several cage changes and at each change add water to the ELB to achieve 200g. Check weight at no more than a 4 day interval and bring the water level back up. If you forget to check the level when renewing the cage, you have a little grace in adding more water. If the weight drops below 100 grams, there may be consequences. Extreme desiccation will kill cricket eggs.
After the crickets have finished/slowed hatching, or other problems (such as mites) appear, freeze the ELB to kill off any remaining pinheads and eggs as well as possible mites. Discard the medium; do not use again for crickets. Wash the plastic container for reuse.
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Screen barricade -A MUST (item #4 from above)
In the picture above is a successful attempt at adding screen to keep the crickets from digging while not interfering with the egg laying process. The screen is 1/8" hardware cloth cut as close to the opening size as possible. One issue is the hardware cloth typically is not perfectly square in construction, so it was cut as snug as possible. It worked quite well. The screen should to be in contact with the soil. Check on it occasionally to be sure a cricket has not managed to get around and under it. (tested on 01April17). The "roof" over the ELB is not needed when a screen is used. This is my only way to breed them now.
Paper for the bottom
The crickets need something to crawl around on. Glass and plastic is very slippery. Initially I tried cheap clay based cat litter because of its ability to absorb moisture and odors naturally. However I discovered this also desiccated and trapped many of the pinhead crickets. Then I discovered a thick piece of newsprint that was wrapping the advertisements in my newspaper. This does an excellent job of absorbing cricket waste and gave them something to grab to while crawling around. A benefit is it allows for easier cleaning of the cages. Plus it is FREE. Friends and neighbors started saving theirs for me as well. Once used, this material can be used as mulch in the garden.
An alternative paper is brown craft paper. Home improvement stores carry the paper by the rolls for use on floors. More details in the Supply Section. A single layer of paper is all that is needed.
Hiding places
Like most other animals, crickets need a place to hide. Not so much from each other but from predators. Items for this are up to your imagination. Cardboard rolls (paper towel and toilet paper), cereal boxes, pressboard separators for florescent lamps, or just about anything made from paper that forms a cave. Crickets really like to cling to the ceilings and walls. Paper egg cartons/trays work great. Many restaurants that use fresh eggs get their eggs on a 5 x 6 tray. Many are discarded and if you can arrange to collect them, the crickets will be happy. I cut mine on a band saw either in half (3x5) for older crickets or into thirds for pinheads.
Open water containers
I feel crickets prefer available water. Water gels do provide some water, but I feel it is not enough. They can get some water from fresh vegetables, but they always go for the open water.
Given a large puddle of water, crickets will drown if allowed to become submerged. They do not seem to have a fear of water. Early on I saw on a web page the use of an inverted pop bottle resting on a dish of cotton balls to allow the crickets to get water. It does work, but the cotton become saturated with food and frass. After a few day it starts to stink badly as it putrefies. This cannot be good for the crickets.
Over the years I have come up with a way to keep a shallow container of water with the crickets, so shallow even the newly hatched pinheads rarely drown. There are always one or two that manage to drown, but not a significant number. On another water device I invented, I have seen larger crickets squeeze thru a narrow channel and enter the upside down bottle that has a small hole in the lid and they end up floating in the water bottle. Determination and Darwinism at work.
These devices are nearly 100% reusable after being cleaned. One item costing me about 1/10 of a cent is all that is replaced before every use. My crickets love them. Maybe there is something similar to them already available?
As an idea of how much water they need - about 2,000 crickets, 15 days old (¼”), will go thru 55 CC ( a 16 dram medicine vial) of water in 24 hours.
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